Dozens hospitalised as Kenyan protesters, police clash
Fifty-six people have been hospitalised, most of them with bullet wounds, after participating in rallies in Kenya to mark the one-year anniversary of deadly protests against a tax bill, a hospital source says.
Thousands of Kenyans took to the streets to commemorate last year's demonstrations, in which more than 60 people died, with police firing tear gas and water cannon to disperse them in the capital Nairobi, according to local media and a Reuters witness.
It was not immediately clear who had shot them, and Kenyan police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga declined to comment on the injuries.
Some protesters clashed with police and an official at the capital's main Kenyatta National Hospital said the facility had received dozens of wounded people.
"As at 16:00 hours, 56 patients had been admitted at KNH from the protest related injuries. Majority had rubber bullet injuries," the hospital source told Reuters, adding that no deaths had been reported at KNH.
The source and Kenya's Citizen Television had earlier reported that at least 10 people were hospitalised.
Large crowds were seen heading in the direction of State House, the president's office, in scenes broadcast by Kenyan channel NTV before it was pulled off the air after defying an order to stop live broadcasts of the demonstrations.
The Communications Authority of Kenya's order was condemned by the Kenya Editors Guild, which called it "a gross violation of the constitution".
"We have been switched off from all the signal broadcasters, now we are only live on YouTube and the website," a senior official at NTV's parent Nation Media Group told Reuters.
Kenyan broadcaster KTN was also taken off air, it said on its Telegram channel, adding that it would continue to offer live coverage on YouTube, Facebook and X.
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.
Fifty-six people have been hospitalised, most of them with bullet wounds, after participating in rallies in Kenya to mark the one-year anniversary of deadly protests against a tax bill, a hospital source says.
Thousands of Kenyans took to the streets to commemorate last year's demonstrations, in which more than 60 people died, with police firing tear gas and water cannon to disperse them in the capital Nairobi, according to local media and a Reuters witness.
It was not immediately clear who had shot them, and Kenyan police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga declined to comment on the injuries.
Some protesters clashed with police and an official at the capital's main Kenyatta National Hospital said the facility had received dozens of wounded people.
"As at 16:00 hours, 56 patients had been admitted at KNH from the protest related injuries. Majority had rubber bullet injuries," the hospital source told Reuters, adding that no deaths had been reported at KNH.
The source and Kenya's Citizen Television had earlier reported that at least 10 people were hospitalised.
Large crowds were seen heading in the direction of State House, the president's office, in scenes broadcast by Kenyan channel NTV before it was pulled off the air after defying an order to stop live broadcasts of the demonstrations.
The Communications Authority of Kenya's order was condemned by the Kenya Editors Guild, which called it "a gross violation of the constitution".
"We have been switched off from all the signal broadcasters, now we are only live on YouTube and the website," a senior official at NTV's parent Nation Media Group told Reuters.
Kenyan broadcaster KTN was also taken off air, it said on its Telegram channel, adding that it would continue to offer live coverage on YouTube, Facebook and X.
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.
Fifty-six people have been hospitalised, most of them with bullet wounds, after participating in rallies in Kenya to mark the one-year anniversary of deadly protests against a tax bill, a hospital source says.
Thousands of Kenyans took to the streets to commemorate last year's demonstrations, in which more than 60 people died, with police firing tear gas and water cannon to disperse them in the capital Nairobi, according to local media and a Reuters witness.
It was not immediately clear who had shot them, and Kenyan police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga declined to comment on the injuries.
Some protesters clashed with police and an official at the capital's main Kenyatta National Hospital said the facility had received dozens of wounded people.
"As at 16:00 hours, 56 patients had been admitted at KNH from the protest related injuries. Majority had rubber bullet injuries," the hospital source told Reuters, adding that no deaths had been reported at KNH.
The source and Kenya's Citizen Television had earlier reported that at least 10 people were hospitalised.
Large crowds were seen heading in the direction of State House, the president's office, in scenes broadcast by Kenyan channel NTV before it was pulled off the air after defying an order to stop live broadcasts of the demonstrations.
The Communications Authority of Kenya's order was condemned by the Kenya Editors Guild, which called it "a gross violation of the constitution".
"We have been switched off from all the signal broadcasters, now we are only live on YouTube and the website," a senior official at NTV's parent Nation Media Group told Reuters.
Kenyan broadcaster KTN was also taken off air, it said on its Telegram channel, adding that it would continue to offer live coverage on YouTube, Facebook and X.
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.
Fifty-six people have been hospitalised, most of them with bullet wounds, after participating in rallies in Kenya to mark the one-year anniversary of deadly protests against a tax bill, a hospital source says.
Thousands of Kenyans took to the streets to commemorate last year's demonstrations, in which more than 60 people died, with police firing tear gas and water cannon to disperse them in the capital Nairobi, according to local media and a Reuters witness.
It was not immediately clear who had shot them, and Kenyan police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga declined to comment on the injuries.
Some protesters clashed with police and an official at the capital's main Kenyatta National Hospital said the facility had received dozens of wounded people.
"As at 16:00 hours, 56 patients had been admitted at KNH from the protest related injuries. Majority had rubber bullet injuries," the hospital source told Reuters, adding that no deaths had been reported at KNH.
The source and Kenya's Citizen Television had earlier reported that at least 10 people were hospitalised.
Large crowds were seen heading in the direction of State House, the president's office, in scenes broadcast by Kenyan channel NTV before it was pulled off the air after defying an order to stop live broadcasts of the demonstrations.
The Communications Authority of Kenya's order was condemned by the Kenya Editors Guild, which called it "a gross violation of the constitution".
"We have been switched off from all the signal broadcasters, now we are only live on YouTube and the website," a senior official at NTV's parent Nation Media Group told Reuters.
Kenyan broadcaster KTN was also taken off air, it said on its Telegram channel, adding that it would continue to offer live coverage on YouTube, Facebook and X.
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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Iran's Khamenei claims victory after truce with Israel
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has declared his country "delivered a hand slap to America's face" and warned against any further US attacks in his first public comments since a ceasefire was declared with Israel. Khamenei spoke in a video broadcast on Iranian state television, his first appearance since June 19, looking and sounding more tired than he did only a week ago. He told viewers the US had only intervened in the war because "it felt that if it did not intervene, the Zionist regime would be utterly destroyed". But he said the US "achieved no gains from this war". "The Islamic Republic was victorious and, in retaliation, delivered a hand slap to America's face," he said, in apparent reference to an Iranian missile attack on an American base in nearby Qatar on Monday, which caused no casualties. Khamenei warned "such an action can be repeated in the future, too", saying that Iran had "access to key US centres in the region and can take action whenever it deems necessary". "Should any aggression occur, the enemy will definitely pay a heavy price," he said. The 86-year-old Khamenei has not been seen in public since taking shelter in a secret location after the outbreak of the war June 13 when Israel attacked Iranian nuclear facilities and targeted top military commanders and scientists. Following an American attack on June 22 that hit the nuclear sites with bunker-buster bombs, US President Donald Trump was able to help negotiate a ceasefire that came into effect on Tuesday. In his appearance on Thursday, he sat in front of plain brown curtains to give his address, similar to his June 19 message. Trump said "Sure" on Wednesday when asked if the US would strike again if Iran rebuilt its nuclear enrichment program. with Reuters Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has declared his country "delivered a hand slap to America's face" and warned against any further US attacks in his first public comments since a ceasefire was declared with Israel. Khamenei spoke in a video broadcast on Iranian state television, his first appearance since June 19, looking and sounding more tired than he did only a week ago. He told viewers the US had only intervened in the war because "it felt that if it did not intervene, the Zionist regime would be utterly destroyed". But he said the US "achieved no gains from this war". "The Islamic Republic was victorious and, in retaliation, delivered a hand slap to America's face," he said, in apparent reference to an Iranian missile attack on an American base in nearby Qatar on Monday, which caused no casualties. Khamenei warned "such an action can be repeated in the future, too", saying that Iran had "access to key US centres in the region and can take action whenever it deems necessary". "Should any aggression occur, the enemy will definitely pay a heavy price," he said. The 86-year-old Khamenei has not been seen in public since taking shelter in a secret location after the outbreak of the war June 13 when Israel attacked Iranian nuclear facilities and targeted top military commanders and scientists. Following an American attack on June 22 that hit the nuclear sites with bunker-buster bombs, US President Donald Trump was able to help negotiate a ceasefire that came into effect on Tuesday. In his appearance on Thursday, he sat in front of plain brown curtains to give his address, similar to his June 19 message. Trump said "Sure" on Wednesday when asked if the US would strike again if Iran rebuilt its nuclear enrichment program. with Reuters Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has declared his country "delivered a hand slap to America's face" and warned against any further US attacks in his first public comments since a ceasefire was declared with Israel. Khamenei spoke in a video broadcast on Iranian state television, his first appearance since June 19, looking and sounding more tired than he did only a week ago. He told viewers the US had only intervened in the war because "it felt that if it did not intervene, the Zionist regime would be utterly destroyed". But he said the US "achieved no gains from this war". "The Islamic Republic was victorious and, in retaliation, delivered a hand slap to America's face," he said, in apparent reference to an Iranian missile attack on an American base in nearby Qatar on Monday, which caused no casualties. Khamenei warned "such an action can be repeated in the future, too", saying that Iran had "access to key US centres in the region and can take action whenever it deems necessary". "Should any aggression occur, the enemy will definitely pay a heavy price," he said. The 86-year-old Khamenei has not been seen in public since taking shelter in a secret location after the outbreak of the war June 13 when Israel attacked Iranian nuclear facilities and targeted top military commanders and scientists. Following an American attack on June 22 that hit the nuclear sites with bunker-buster bombs, US President Donald Trump was able to help negotiate a ceasefire that came into effect on Tuesday. In his appearance on Thursday, he sat in front of plain brown curtains to give his address, similar to his June 19 message. Trump said "Sure" on Wednesday when asked if the US would strike again if Iran rebuilt its nuclear enrichment program. with Reuters Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has declared his country "delivered a hand slap to America's face" and warned against any further US attacks in his first public comments since a ceasefire was declared with Israel. Khamenei spoke in a video broadcast on Iranian state television, his first appearance since June 19, looking and sounding more tired than he did only a week ago. He told viewers the US had only intervened in the war because "it felt that if it did not intervene, the Zionist regime would be utterly destroyed". But he said the US "achieved no gains from this war". "The Islamic Republic was victorious and, in retaliation, delivered a hand slap to America's face," he said, in apparent reference to an Iranian missile attack on an American base in nearby Qatar on Monday, which caused no casualties. Khamenei warned "such an action can be repeated in the future, too", saying that Iran had "access to key US centres in the region and can take action whenever it deems necessary". "Should any aggression occur, the enemy will definitely pay a heavy price," he said. The 86-year-old Khamenei has not been seen in public since taking shelter in a secret location after the outbreak of the war June 13 when Israel attacked Iranian nuclear facilities and targeted top military commanders and scientists. Following an American attack on June 22 that hit the nuclear sites with bunker-buster bombs, US President Donald Trump was able to help negotiate a ceasefire that came into effect on Tuesday. In his appearance on Thursday, he sat in front of plain brown curtains to give his address, similar to his June 19 message. Trump said "Sure" on Wednesday when asked if the US would strike again if Iran rebuilt its nuclear enrichment program. with Reuters
Sky News AU
3 hours ago
- Sky News AU
83-year-old Democrat hardliner Bernie Sanders does not completely rule out running again for US President in Joe Rogan interview
Democrat United Sates Senator Bernie Sanders has been pressed if he plans to run again for US President just days after he launched a fierce attack on current president Donald Trump. Mr Sanders, aged 83, previously ran for the job in both 2016 and 2022, with both times resulting in unsuccessful bids to be the Democratic Party nominee. In a newly-released interview with popular podcaster and comedian Joe Rogan, Mr Sanders labelled the campaign finance system for US elections 'corrupt'. 'Which is rejecting the will of the American people, and end up supporting powerful special interests. And if we do not get a handle on that issue, I worry very much about the future of American democracy," he said. The US Senator was then faced with the question of whether he will run for commander-in-chief again, with the next possible chance being the 2028 presidential election. Mr Sanders replied, 'I am 83 years of age,' adding he didn't think the American public would be 'too enthusiastic' about the idea. Rogan then complemented his guest regarding his age saying, 'you're still very with it' and made a comparison between him and former US President Joe Biden, who is over one year younger than Mr Sanders. 'You could be off a lot worse,' Rogan claimed, to which Mr Sanders replied 'yes'. Mr Sanders has been vocal about his stance towards the US strikes on Iran, calling the move by the Trump administration 'grossly unconstitutional' at a rally last week. 'All of you know that the only entity that can take this country to war is the US Congress. The president does not have the right,' he said to the crowd. Mr Trump in April this year delivered a backhanded compliment to the 83-year-old, calling him a "lunatic" who he said was "still pretty sharp". The nearly two-hour long podcast episode featuring Mr Sanders has received over 2.1 million views on YouTube since being released on the platform on Wednesday.
Sky News AU
4 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Federal Liberal Party apologises for sexually explicit images shared on social media after accounts ‘hacked'
The federal Liberal Party has apologised after sexually explicit images were posted to its social media accounts late last night. Multiple images of large-breasted women in borderline see-through bikinis were posted as stories on the Liberal Party's Instagram and Facebook accounts around midnight last night. One of the images was of a Brunette woman wearing a cowboy hat and a pink bikini with the caption '30 viral & weird photos that you can find online' separating it from a second lewd image that was cut off. Another is of a blonde woman in a white see-through bikini with 'before' in large letters, and at the bottom of the post was the start of a second image with 'after' written in Green. The images appear to be AI-generated. The Liberal Party's federal secretariat said the images had been posted after their accounts were hacked. 'Overnight, the social media account of a contractor used by the Party was hacked leading to the posting of unauthorised material on the Liberal Party's Meta accounts at around midnight,' a Liberal Party spokesperson told 'All material was removed within 10 minutes of it being posted and the matter was urgently raised with the Australian Cyber Security Centre and with Meta overnight. 'We apologise for any offence caused.' It is unclear how many of the 360,000 people who follow the pages viewed the images, but screenshots of the images were taken and shared by other social media accounts. 'I'm not sure this is what Sussan Ley meant when she said at the National Press Club yesterday that women will be prominent in the party,' one social media user said on X. The posts come less than a day after new leader Sussan Ley gave a major press club address in which she addressed the party's need to attract more women. Describing herself as a 'zealot' for increasing the number of women in the Liberal Party, Ms Ley said she would work with every state division of the Liberal Party to 'ensure we preselect more women for the 2028 election'. 'As the first woman leader of our federal party, let me send the clearest possible message: we need to do better, recruit better, retain better and support better,' she said. Shadow Minister for Cyber Security Melissa Price said this 'demonstrates that no one is beyond being hacked, not even political parties.' "I refer to the Liberal Party's statement that the unauthorised content was removed within 10 minutes and I trust the party will take measures to ensure this does not happen again".
