Kenyan hip-hop star Octopizzo has spoken out following the release of the BBC Africa Eye investigation Blood Parliament, which uncovered the events of June 25, 2024, during the anti-finance bill protests.
The documentary revealed how Kenyan security officers were responsible for the fatal shooting of three anti-tax protesters outside Parliament.
Sharing his thoughts on Instagram, the “Noma Ni” rapper expressed heartbreak and disappointment in the Kenyan government for failing to take action or deliver justice, even a year after the killings.
“Watching that BBC documentary by Ademba has shattered me. How can it be almost a year and no one, not a single person, has been held accountable?” he wrote.
Octopizzo questioned the integrity of the country’s legal system, criticising the government’s priorities.
“It makes you wonder if the judiciary, if the law itself, was ever real. We keep technology forward like it’s everything, yet humanity and justice are rotting away even faster,” said the “Wakoritho” and “Oliel” hitmaker.
He lamented the tragic reality of young lives being lost simply for speaking out against the government.
“It’s gutting. It is like watching hope die in real time. Young people being killed for having an opinion,” he added.
His message was echoed by fellow creatives and Kenyans online.
Celebrated actor Pascal Tokodi, known for his role in Selina, responded to the post, saying, “If we stay silent in the face of injustice, who are we becoming?”
Supportive comments poured in from social media users. One wrote, “How can you win when you don’t fight the regime?” while another added, “We have killed our past and we are busy killing our future.”
The “No Signal” and “Tom Mboya” rapper concluded by posting on X a haunting line from Kenya’s national anthem: “Haki iwe ngao na mlinzi, huyo ndio nani?”, leaving his followers with a sobering question about the state of justice in the country.