At least eight individuals died and over 400 were injured during countrywide protests in Kenya on Wednesday, as thousands marched through the streets to commemorate yesterday’s anniversary of last year’s anti-tax bill demonstrations.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) verified the deaths, reporting all eight were allegedly due to gunshot wounds. Protests turned violent between demonstrators and police in major cities, including Nairobi, where security forces deployed tear gas, water cannon, and allegedly live ammunition to break up crowds.
“More than 400 casualties have been reported, including protesters, police officers, and journalists,” KNCHR reported, based on prevalent charges of excessive force.
Kenyatta National Hospital, the primary trauma hospital for Nairobi, took in at least 107 individuals, most of them victims of gunshot wounds. Kenya Power also reported that a security officer was gunned down while working at its headquarters.
The protests became especially heated in the capital, with large groups of people marching towards State House. Kenyan television stations NTV and KTN broadcast live scenes of the protest before briefly being pulled off the air by the Communications Authority for defying an order to stop live broadcasts. A court in Nairobi subsequently suspended the directive, enabling the channels to go back on the air.
Violence linked to protests extended outside the capital, with protest clashes reported in Mombasa, Kisii, Nyeri, Kitengela, and Matuu. Protesters in Kikuyu town torched a court building.
The protests also indicate continued anger over police brutality that was again sparked by the police custody death of 31-year-old blogger Albert Ojwang. Six suspects, three of them officers, have been charged with his murder.
Protester Lumumba Harmony said to Reuters, “We are fighting for the rights of our fellow youth and those who died since June 25… we want justice.”
The demonstrations escalated to one of the largest crises to have hit President William Ruto’s government.