'Dem aim to kill' - BBC identify security forces wey shoot Kenya anti-tax protesters

BBC News

28-04-2025

BBC don identify di members of Kenya security forces wey shoot anti-tax protesters for di kontri parliament last June.
Di BBC analysis of more dan 5,000 images also show say dose wey dem kill for dia no get any weapon and dem no pose any threat.
Di East African nation constitution guarantee di right to peaceful protest, and di deaths cause a public outcry.
Despite a parliamentary committee wey order Kenya Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to investigate di deaths on di streets of di capital, Nairobi - and make dia findings public - dem neva issue any report about di killings for parliament and dem neva bring anyone to account.
Di BBC World Service team analyse videos and fotos wey protesters and journalists take on dat day. We determine wen dem take each of dem using camera metadata, livestream timings and public clocks wey dey visible for di shots.
We plot three of di killings on a 3D reconstruction of Kenya parliament, wey allow us to trace di fatal shots back to di rifles of a police officer and a soldier.
Wetin follow na BBC Africa Eye detailed timeline of events as Kenya MPs enta parliament for di final vote on di govment controversial finance bill, while protesters plenti for di streets outside on Tuesday 25 June 2024.
Warning: Dis story contain images of dead bodies
Young pipo wey dem label as Gen Z protesters mobilise demsef for social media, begin to stream into central Nairobi early morning.
Dis be like di capital third large-scale protest since di finance bill dey introduced on 9 May.
"Na beautiful party," prominent human rights activist Boniface Mwangi, wey dey dia, tok.
"Kids come out wit Bluetooth speakers and dia water. Na carnival."
Protests earlier for di week don already lead lawmakers to cut tax increases on bread, cooking oil, mobile money and motor vehicles, as well as an eco levy wey for don raise di cost of goods like nappies and sanitary towels.
But oda measures to raise di $2.7bn (£2bn) wey di govment say e need to cut dia worry ova external borrowing, such as higher import taxes and anoda on specialised hospitals, bin remain.
"For di first time na di Kenyan pipo- di working class and di middle class and di lower class - against di ruling class," Mwangi say.
Di protesters get one target - parliament, wia di final vote dey take place.
By 09:30 local time, di last of di MPs filed into di lower house.
Outside, thousands push towards Parliament Road from di east, north and west of di city.
"For me, na just a normal day," 26-year-old student journalist Ademba Allans say.
Pipo dey livestream for dia TikTok and Instagram accounts, while events dey broadcast live on national TV, e add.
At first, dem hold protesters back for roadblocks by tear gas and truncheons, den police start to dey use water cannons and rubber bullets.
By 13:00, more dan 100,000 pipo don dey for streets.
"Di numbers start to get bigger and pipo actually start to chop arrest," Allans say. "Di police dey evriwia. Dem dey try to push pipo back. Pipo dey even climb on top of dose water cannons."
Despite di growing wahala wey dey outside, MPs remain for di chamber and di voting begin.
By 14:00, protesters don push police all di way back to di north-eastern corner of parliament.
Inside for 14:14, di Finance Bill 2024 dey voted in: 195 in favour, 106 against. Opposition MPs storm out and word sharply reach di masses outside.
"Dis na wen evribodi say: 'Wateva happun, we dey go enta di parliament and show di MPs say we believe wetin we dey fight for,'" Allans say.
For 14:20, protesters finally break through di police blockade and reach di road wey run alongside parliament.
An abandoned police truck wey dey stationed outside di gates, dem set am on fire. Fences dey torn down and protesters set foot on parliamentary grounds. Di invasion dey short-lived. Parliamentary security forces quickly clear dem out.
For di same time, police officers go back up Parliament Road wit force to drive di protesters back.
While dis dey happun, journalists dey film, produce minute-by-minute footage from many angles.
One of dose videos bin capture a plain-clothes police officer wey dey shout "uaa!", di Swahili word for "kill". Seconds later, a police officer kneel down, gunshots bin sound and protesters for di crowd collapse - total of seven.
David Chege, a 39-year-old software engineer and Sunday-school teacher, and Ericsson Mutisya, a 25-year-old butcher, dey shoot dem dead. Five oda men dey injured, one of dem dey paralysed from di waist down.
Footage show Allans, di student journalist, e dey hold up a Kenyan flag as e try to reach Chege and anoda casualty bleeding out afta di gunfire.
But who fire dose shots?
For di video of di officer wey dey shout, "uaa!", di shooter back di camera. But di BBC compare im body armour, riot shield and headgear wit dat of evri police officer for di scene.
For im case, e e get an upturned neck guard. We match im distinctive uniform to an officer for a video recorded seconds later. For dia, e make sure say e cover im face bifor firing into di crowd. We no sabi im name.
Even afta di fatal shots, we still fit hear di plain-clothes officer dey tell im colleagues to move forward to "kill". E no so cautious to hide im identity: im name na John Kaboi.
Multiple sources tell di BBC say e dey based for di Central Nairobi Police Station.
Di BBC put di allegations to Kenya police service, wey tok say di force no fit investigate diasef. Dem add say di IPOA dey responsible to investigate alleged misconduct.
We don approach Kaboi for comment and e no reply.
Dem neva hold anyone accountable for di deaths of Chege or Mutisya. Di BBC find say two of dem no dey armed.
But dis no be di only lives lost. Rather dan stop demonstrators, di killings vex dem and dem try di parliament again.
At 14:57 dem enta.
Footage show dem as dem dey break down di fences and walk across di parliament grounds. Many put dia hands up. Odas dey hold placards or di Kenyan flag.
Dem fire warning shots. Di demonstrators lay down, den kontinue towards di building, as dem film on dia phones as dem dey go.
Once inside, momentum turn to mayhem. Dem kick into doors, part of di complex dey set on fire and di last of di MPs run comot di building.
Di destruction dey severe, afta five minutes, footage show dem dey comot for di same way dem come in.
At 15:04, shots ring out again and protesters fall ontop di flat fence. As di smoke clear, camera footage show three bodies wey dey lie for ground. Two dey wounded - one raise im hand but e no fit get up.
Di third, 27-year-old finance student Eric Shieni, don die - dem shoot am for head from behind as e dey comot for di ground. Di BBC again find, as di cases of Chege and Mutisya, say e no dey armed.
BBC Africa Eye analyse more dan 150 images wey dem take during di minutes bifor and afta dem shoot Shieni. We fit to identify di soldier wey fire for di back of im head from 25m (82ft) away - again, we no sabi im name.
"Di video dey veri clear," Faith Odhiambo, president of di Law Society of Kenya say.
"Di aim na to kill dose protesters. Dem for arrest am. But di fact say you shoot im head - e dey clearl say na intention to kill.
"You don become di judge, di jury and di sentence executioner for Eric."
Di Kenyan Defence Forces (KDF) tell di BBC say di IPOA neva forward any request to look into any of dia personnel wey dey involved for di operations for di parliament.
E add: "Di KDF remain fully committed to uphold di rule of law and kontinue to operate strictly within dia constitutional mandate."
Afta di shooting Allans show again, to lead di evacuation. Footage show am dey carry a man wit blood gushing from im leg.
"I fear for my life, say my parents no go eva see me again," e say.
"But I also fear to let oda pipo die wen I fit help."
As di sun set on 25 June, di country dey silent. Afta a week of protests, di Kenya National Commission on Human Rights declare say 39 pipo die and 361 dey injured around di kontri.
Dat evening President William Ruto tank im security officers for dia "defence of di nation sovereignty" against "organised criminals" wey "hijack" di protests.
Di following day, dem drop di finance bill.
"Listening keenly to di people of Kenya, wey loudly say dem no want anytin to do wit dis Finance Bill 2024, I agree," di president tok for a national televised address, e add say im no go sign am into law.
But to dis day dem neva hold any security officer to account for di deaths and dem neva publish any official investigation.
Additional reporting by BBC film editors Valeria Cardi and Emile Costard
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