8 killed, 400 injured in Kenya anti-govt protests marking deadly 2024 demonstrations

At least eight people were killed and 400 injured during nationwide anti-government protests in Kenya on Wednesday, according to the national human rights watchdog.

The demonstrations, held to mark the anniversary of last year’s deadly protests against a controversial tax bill, saw thousands take to the streets across the country.

In Nairobi, police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds, local media and a Reuters witness reported.

Clashes broke out between protesters and police, and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights said all eight reported fatalities were “allegedly from gunshot wounds.”

“Over 400 casualties have been reported, including demonstrators, police officers and journalists,” KNCHR said in a statement shared on its official X account.

The watchdog did not specify who was responsible for the shootings but pointed to a heavy police presence and “allegations of excessive use of force, including rubber bullets, live ammunition, and water cannons,” which it said had caused numerous injuries.

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Kenyan police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the statement from the KNCHR, Reuters reported.

An official at Kenyatta National Hospital, the capital’s main medical facility, confirmed that dozens of injured individuals had been admitted.

“107 admitted, most with gunshot injuries,” Reuters quoted the source as saying, referring to rubber bullets and live rounds. He added that no deaths had been reported at KNH.

National electricity provider Kenya Power said one of its security guards was shot dead during the protests while patrolling its headquarters in Nairobi.

Large crowds were seen earlier heading in the direction of State House, the president’s official residence, in scenes broadcast by Kenyan channel NTV before it and another broadcaster KTN were pulled off the air after defying an order to stop live broadcasts of the demonstrations.

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Both channels resumed broadcasts later on Wednesday after a court in Nairobi suspended the order issued by the Communications Authority of Kenya.

Anger against police

Protesters torched court facilities in Kikuyu town on the outskirts of Nairobi, Citizen TV reported. Flames and thick smoke billowed from the court building in a video posted on the broadcaster’s X account.

Isolated clashes were reported in the port city of Mombasa, according to NTV, with protests also in the towns of Kitengela, Kisii, Matuu and Nyeri.

Although last year’s protests faded after President William Ruto withdrew proposed tax hikes, public anger has remained over the use of excessive force by security agencies, with fresh demonstrations this month over the death of a blogger in police custody.

Six people, including three police officers, were charged with murder on Tuesday over the killing of 31-year-old blogger and teacher, Albert Ojwang. All have pleaded not guilty.

Ojwang’s death has become a lightning rod for Kenyans still mourning those who perished at last year’s demonstrations, blamed on security forces, against a backdrop of dozens of unexplained disappearances.

“We are fighting for the rights of our fellow youths and Kenyans and the people who died since June 25… we want justice,” Lumumba Harmony, a protester, told Reuters in Nairobi.

The unprecedented scenes on June 25, 2024, showing police firing at protesters as they broke through barriers to enter parliament, created the biggest crisis of Ruto’s presidency and sparked alarm among Kenya’s international allies.

With inputs from agencies