Kenyans took to the streets on June 2025 to mark one year and remember those who died during the June 2024 demonstrations over the controversial 2024 Kenya Finance Bill.
KENYA |
The June 2025 Kenya Protests in pictures #KenyaProtests pic.twitter.com/GMBLALobrw
— BitKE (@BitcoinKE) June 25, 2025
The June 2025 demonstrations however had a surprise entry – crypto.
A look at various sources shared with BitKE by the crypto community indicate support by foreign and anonymous people leveraging Binance P2P, the leading crypto platform in Kenya, to cash out USDT into Kenya Shillings (KES) and support protestors who were struggling with logistics.
Baaaaaas I REPEAT Kama hauna fare ya kufika maandamano CBD paste niweke mia mia lazima tuinuane team sisi kwa Sisi #SiriNiNumbers #OccupyUntilVictory pic.twitter.com/aXtCkaUYcZ
— MR KIMM (@MrKimmKE) June 25, 2025
Numerous online sources seem to indicate a concerted effort to facilitate demonstrators, particularly with small donations. One protestor even mentioned that ‘a friend from the UK’ supported the protest via USDT with a screenshot of the donated funds.
A friend from UK ame top up my account nizidi kuwaekea
I will reach each one of you Kila mtu atapata share yake #SiriNiNumbers#OccupyUntilVictory https://t.co/hQSQ6dGwUl pic.twitter.com/P1CQFOPTnb
— MR KIMM (@MrKimmKE) June 25, 2025
As donations came in, they were quickly dispersed to protestors via M-PESA.
Wewe panda gari fare italipwa
We want two million Kenyans today in Nairobi CBD #SiriNiNumbers #OccupyUntilVictory pic.twitter.com/riTlNekE77
— MR KIMM (@MrKimmKE) June 25, 2025
Nani Bado hajapata za kufika cbd?#SiriNiNumbers #OccupyUntilVictory #OccupyStatehouse2025
Comrade paste now !! pic.twitter.com/fxo43xjNu6
— Iam Wa Kimathi (@IamKimathiKE) June 25, 2025
Other apps that were apparently invoked and used during the protests include OKX and TapSwap.
REGULATION | Crypto Exchange, OKX, to Shut Down Services in Nigeria in August 2024 Due to Unfavorable Regulatory Conditions
According to an email sent to its Nigerian customers on July 18 2024, customers are expected to withdraw their funds from OKX on or before August 16… pic.twitter.com/UEXJ8z2cr3
— BitKE (@BitcoinKE) July 22, 2024
MY CRYPTO BROS hii ni yenu kama ukona USDT uko binance, Okx ama any other exchange na unataka kuzicash urgently download app inaitwa TAPSWAP kwa playstore or appstore verify KYC tuma USDT zako huko kisha sell upate maziwa mpesa immediately
— 𝙆𝙞𝙟𝙖𝙣𝙖 𝙮𝙖 𝙫𝙘 (@Fra_nk001) June 25, 2025
The use of USDT is not a surprise. A recent IMF-commissioned market survey revealed widespread use of digital assets in Kenya, particularly the USDT stablecoin, suggesting that their adoption as a payment option is more extensive than previously anticipated.
According to the report:
USDT ($USDT) is the most used stablecoin currently used by about 49 percent of Kenyans that own cryptos, followed by
USDC ($USDC) (31 percent) and
BUSD (9 percent) – [Now delisted and phased out]
[TECH] STABLECOINS | Private Firms in Kenya Turn to Stablecoins to Pay Foreign Suppliers, 49% Use USDT, Says IMF: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revealed that many Kenyan firms are now using crypt.. https://t.co/iZWzG1PM4Y via @BitcoinKE
— Top Kenyan Blogs (@Blogs_Kenya) January 13, 2025
Using crypto to advance such causes is not new.
In 2020, at the height of the #ENDSARS campaign in Nigeria, numerous groups were accussed of facilitating protests resulting in account shutdowns. As a result, protest supporters turned to crypto.
[TECH] How Bitcoin Donations are Helping in the Nigerian #ENDSARS Campaign: As the fight to end the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Nigeria continues to gain momentum, crypto exchanges in the country as.. https://t.co/zj7wTIYvBE via @BitcoinKE
— Top Kenyan Blogs (@Blogs_Kenya) October 16, 2020
As reported by BitKE back then, within a time window of just one week, the campaign donations recorded by Feminist Coaltion, the organization that supported the protest via crypto, was ~40 BTC (~$4.3 million at the time of writing).
[TECH] Bitcoin Donations Are Among the Most Popular Payment Modes for Supporting The Nigerian #ENDSARS Campaign: The ongoing #ENDSARS protests, with the help of Feminist Coalition, has so far raised a substa.. https://t.co/NluIc4Weas via @BitcoinKE
— Top Kenyan Blogs (@Blogs_Kenya) October 23, 2020
A number of Nigerian crypto companies and personalities offered support, including donations to help in the cause, in addition to other supporters across the African continent and the world.
We just matched this donation by @buycoins_africa and are calling other tech startups to donate to this cause.
This issue affects us and our employees the most. #EndSars #EndPoliceBrutality https://t.co/QGxYmnNi12
— Busha (@getBusha) October 9, 2020
Simiarly, during the #EndBadGovernance protests in 2024, the Nigerian government accused organizers of using crypto freezing over $37 million worth of crypto held in their wallets.
REGULATION | Nigeria Freezes Crypto Accounts with Over $37 Million in $USDT Belonging to Suspected Protest Organizers
The wallet with the lion’s share of the assets has over $37 million in $USDT while another has over $400,000 in $USDT.https://t.co/RyifU23UB0 @Tether_to… pic.twitter.com/9U8pax0MP8
— BitKE (@BitcoinKE) August 14, 2024
According to local news outlets, the freezing followed an order by the Federal High Court in Abuja after an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In the case of the #ENDSARS campaign, the Federal Government was able to freeze the accounts of 20 #EndSARS campaigners after telling a Federal High Court in Abuja, Nigeria that the funds in their accounts might have been linked to terrorist activities.
The Human Rights Foundation has similarly supported human rights defenders and activists, including developers building censorship-resistant tools via Bitcoin across the continent. According to its recent video celebrating the Bitcoin Development Fund (BDF) 5-year anniversary, the fund has supported educational and developer efforts across Africa where authoritarian regimes weaponize the financial system and resrict Bitcoin education including Cameroon, Uganda, Egypt, Burundi, Togo, and the Congo.
The Nigerian #ENDSARS campaign seem to have a set a precedent with Kenyan protestors and their supporters now leveraging crypto, and more specifically the USDT stablecoin, to ensure the success of the current protests.
While the use of crypto in Kenya has not been criminalized, like it has happened in Nigeria with ponzi and unlicensed schemes, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Kenya (DCI Kenya), which is the lead investigative body in the country, has previously highlighted the use of crypto for criminal activities including money laundering and corruption.
It will be interesting to see if this development casts a dark shadow on crypto from law enforcement and government agencies, resulting in more crackdowns similar to Nigeria, or Kenya will take a more open approach.
Can Kenyan Politicians Legally Accept Crypto Donations? https://t.co/M9ErouxGA9
— BitKE (@BitcoinKE) February 15, 2022
BitKE will continue to update this story as more information come to light.
Stay tuned to BitKE for deeper insights into the evolving Kenyan and African crypto space.
Join our WhatsApp channel here.
Follow us on X for the latest posts and updates
Join and interact with our Telegram community
________________________________________________
