Dr. Branice Munyasa’s recent tweet during Kenya’s Saba Saba protests has drawn heavy criticism for appearing to side with state forces accused of killing innocent protesters.
In a country mourning the deaths of young Kenyans gunned down for demanding justice, her statement was seen by many as both tone-deaf and dangerous.
On July 7, 2025, Munyasa wrote, “Leaderless as our mothers continue to dig graves for their children ….. there has to be another way.” On the surface, it looked like a sad reflection. But to many Kenyans, it carried a deeper, more harmful message shifting blame from government violence to the protesters themselves.
Cyprian Is Nyakundi, a social commentator and blogger known for challenging state propaganda, responded sharply. He called out her tweet as a form of emotional manipulation.
According to him, this was not just a case of someone expressing sadness it was a crafted message meant to confuse the public and protect the real culprits.
Nyakundi said her choice of words was strategic, calling it “a carefully worded attack on protest.” He pointed out how the tweet failed to question the killings or ask why the police were shooting young people. Instead, it subtly suggested that the protests were to blame. He asked, “Who benefits when the narrative shifts from ‘Why did police shoot our children?’ to ‘Let’s not protest anymore because it’s getting messy’?”
Many Kenyans online backed Nyakundi’s view. Some accused Munyasa of siding with power because of her business interests.
Others argued that her silence on police brutality made her complicit. Her vague line. “there has to be another way” was seen as a weak call for peace that lacked any real solution.
For grieving families and angry youth, this sounded like betrayal, not wisdom. She failed to call out the violence that killed innocent Kenyans. Instead, she painted the protest movement as disorderly and misguided.
The backlash highlights how dangerous it is when public figures use their platforms to soften the truth or distract from injustice.
Munyasa is not a neutral voice. She is an educated, successful figure whose words carry weight. When she chose to focus on “leaderless” protests instead of state violence, she gave cover to the killers. In moments of national pain, messages like hers risk doing real harm by discouraging protest and silencing anger.
In a country where justice feels far away, there’s no space for soft propaganda disguised as mourning.
Dr. Branice Munyasa’s message may have come with sad emojis, but its effect was to defend the very system the people are fighting against.
