Kenya: Officer held after man shot at anti-brutality rally – DW – 06/17/2025
DW captured the incident on camera during protests in Nairobi following the death of blogger Albert Ojwang in police custody.
A Kenyan police officer has been arrested following the shooting of an unarmed civilian during Tuesday's rally to protest the death of a blogger in police custody.
DW's Nairobi correspondent, Felix Maringa, witnessed and filmed the man being shot in the head at close range.
His video shows two policemen repeatedly striking the man on his head before one of them fired at him with what appeared to be a shotgun.
Kenyan police shoot dead trader at protests in Nairobi
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Police say the man was taken to hospital to be treated for his wounds.
It happened as a group of whip and club-wielding motorcyclists — known in Kenya as "goons" — assaulted protesters who were calling for an end to police brutality and demanding the resignation of a senior officer they blame for the death of blogger Albert Ojwang on June 8.
Protesters accused police of siding with their attackers
In a post on X, Amnesty International's Kenya chapter reported the presence of dozens of motorbikes carrying hooded passengers, who were seen whipping protesters and members of the public.
"The goons attacked us. They cornered us and beat us with whips and the police were just watching them do it," Hanifa Adan, one of the leading voices from last year's massive Gen Z-led protests in Kenya, told the AFP news agency.
Armed with whips and clubs the counter-protesters attacked demonstrators upset over the death of Albert Ojwang in police custody Image: Thomas Mukoya/REUTERS
"Police, shame on you, stop siding with the goons, side with the citizens who pay your salary through our taxes," one protester told Reuters.
Pictures taken by press photographers show counter-protesters running alongside police officers as they disrupted the demonstrations over Ojwang's death.
Blogger's death in custody due to assault
Ojwang, a blogger, was arrested earlier this month for allegedly defaming the country's deputy police chief, Eliud Lagat. Police initially claimed he died "after hitting his head against a cell wall." However, an autopsy revealed injuries consistent with assault as the likely cause of death.
Since then, President William Ruto has acknowledged that Ojwang died "at the hands of the police." Two officers were arrested last week in connection with the death, but the investigation is ongoing.
Clashes erupt in Kenya's capital Nairobi
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
On Monday, Lagat announced he had temporarily stepped down from his position as investigations into Ojwang's death continue.
The protests over Ojwang's death reflect broader public concerns that little has changed since more than 60 people were killed during demonstrations last year, which were initially sparked by proposed tax increases.
Edited by: Alex Berry
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
DW
3 hours ago
- DW
Nairobi: Police, protesters clash in second week of unrest – DW – 06/18/2025
Felix Maringa 06/18/2025 June 18, 2025 The death of a Kenyan blogger in police custody continues to fuel unrest in Nairobi. Protesters' fury grows as they tell DW they're rallying for justice and calling for accountability over police violence. Warning: Graphic content.
DW
4 hours ago
- DW
Kenya: Officer held after man shot at anti-brutality rally – DW – 06/17/2025
DW captured the incident on camera during protests in Nairobi following the death of blogger Albert Ojwang in police custody. A Kenyan police officer has been arrested following the shooting of an unarmed civilian during Tuesday's rally to protest the death of a blogger in police custody. DW's Nairobi correspondent, Felix Maringa, witnessed and filmed the man being shot in the head at close range. His video shows two policemen repeatedly striking the man on his head before one of them fired at him with what appeared to be a shotgun. Kenyan police shoot dead trader at protests in Nairobi To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Police say the man was taken to hospital to be treated for his wounds. It happened as a group of whip and club-wielding motorcyclists — known in Kenya as "goons" — assaulted protesters who were calling for an end to police brutality and demanding the resignation of a senior officer they blame for the death of blogger Albert Ojwang on June 8. Protesters accused police of siding with their attackers In a post on X, Amnesty International's Kenya chapter reported the presence of dozens of motorbikes carrying hooded passengers, who were seen whipping protesters and members of the public. "The goons attacked us. They cornered us and beat us with whips and the police were just watching them do it," Hanifa Adan, one of the leading voices from last year's massive Gen Z-led protests in Kenya, told the AFP news agency. Armed with whips and clubs the counter-protesters attacked demonstrators upset over the death of Albert Ojwang in police custody Image: Thomas Mukoya/REUTERS "Police, shame on you, stop siding with the goons, side with the citizens who pay your salary through our taxes," one protester told Reuters. Pictures taken by press photographers show counter-protesters running alongside police officers as they disrupted the demonstrations over Ojwang's death. Blogger's death in custody due to assault Ojwang, a blogger, was arrested earlier this month for allegedly defaming the country's deputy police chief, Eliud Lagat. Police initially claimed he died "after hitting his head against a cell wall." However, an autopsy revealed injuries consistent with assault as the likely cause of death. Since then, President William Ruto has acknowledged that Ojwang died "at the hands of the police." Two officers were arrested last week in connection with the death, but the investigation is ongoing. Clashes erupt in Kenya's capital Nairobi To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video On Monday, Lagat announced he had temporarily stepped down from his position as investigations into Ojwang's death continue. The protests over Ojwang's death reflect broader public concerns that little has changed since more than 60 people were killed during demonstrations last year, which were initially sparked by proposed tax increases. Edited by: Alex Berry
DW
4 hours ago
- DW
Where does Donald Trump stand on the Israel-Iran conflict? – DW – 06/17/2025
Donald Trump calls himself a "peacemaker." But he has also called Iran's supreme leader an "easy target." DW looks at the US president's stance and his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel's assault on Iran was discussed with Washington before it was launched. "There were no surprises here," Fox News anchor Brett Bair said after an interview with US President Donald Trump last Friday. The US government has made clear that it was not actively involved in the attack, though questions arose as to whether this would remain the case when the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz was rerouted from the South China Sea to the Middle East. And, on Tuesday, Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that the United States knew the exact location of Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. "He is an easy target, but is safe there," Trump wrote. "We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now." On the campaign trail ahead of the 2024 US presidential election, Trump never tired of repeating that he had no desire to allow the United States to get caught up in global military conflicts. In his January 2025 inaugural address, Trump called himself a "peacemaker," pledging to use the might of the US to "stop all wars and bring a new spirit of unity" to the world. Speaking in Saudi Arabia in May, he announced the dawn of a new era of peace in the Middle East. The front page of an Iranian newspaper reporting on recent nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran Image: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images What's Trump's stance on Iran? Not much remains of this peaceful attitude in the wake of Israel's full-on assault on Iran. On Monday night, Trump wrote on Truth Social that "everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran." In a previous post, he wrote that he had given Tehran's leaders "chance after chance" to sign a new nuclear deal, warning that if they failed to sign one, Iran would face an attack worse than anything they could imagine. Trump wrote that hardliners who had come out against an agreement "are all dead now," adding, "it will only get worse!" Delegations from both nations have met several times since April, with the aim of negotiating a replacement treaty for the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) deal that Trump withdrew the US from in 2018. Trump claims his aim has always been to ensure that Iran can never build a nuclear weapon — which was also the aim of the JCPOA. Beyond military and civilian targets, Israel's attacks also hit Iranian nuclear sites. An attack on Iran's state broadcaster: Tehran appears incapable of protecting critical infrastructure from Israeli assault Image: IRIB Is Israel leading the US into war? So where does Donald Trump actually stand in this conflict between the hardline governments of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran? British-Israeli political scientist Daniel Levy, president of the non-profit research institute US/Middle East Project, suggests Israel may have convinced the US that a military attack against Iran could help advance nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran. Levy also told DW it was no coincidence that Israel had chosen this moment to attack. "I think one of the primary motivating factors for Netanyahu was to act now because were there a break-through in the talks, he would probably feel sufficiently constrained by the Americans not to act." In any case, Trump decided not to red light Netanyahu's attack on Iran, wrote Willian F. Wechsler, in a blog post for the US think tank Atlantic Council, where he is director of the Middle East program. There was no specific demand that Israel refrain from attacking, therefore, "we should assume that Israeli leaders would have interpreted the absence of an American red light as a de facto green light," wrote Wechsler. Trump stuck in the middle In May, Trump made headlines by firing his national security advisor, Michael Waltz, who had created headaches for the administration by erroneously adding a well-known journalist to a chat group discussing secret US military plans on the messenger service Signal. But research by the Washington Post newspaper found that something else had in fact led to Waltz's firing: Trump's advisor is said to have had intense discussions with Prime Minister Netanyahu about possible military options for dealing with Iran — and that, prior to Netanyahu's visit to the White House. The paper wrote that Waltz, "wanted to take US policy in a direction Trump wasn't comfortable with…" Was National Security Advisor Michael Waltz fired for pushing policies Trump wasn't comfortable with? Image: Ben Curtis/AP Photo/picture alliance So where does the US commander-in-chief stand exactly? Does he oppose military action against Iran, or does he see it as grounds for celebration? In Levy's view, the US president is tacking back and forth because his own MAGA (Make America Great Again) base is highly divided on the issue of military deployments in the Middle East. There's "a fissure in MAGA-world," says Levy. On one side, there are those who are all in on Trump's "America first" approach that puts US interests above all else. The last thing this group wants is for the US to become involved in a distant conflict that they feel does not directly affect them. On the other side are Trump's many conservative Jewish-American and evangelical Christian supporters, who believe the US must support Israel — even militarily if necessary — no matter what. Levy says the situation is risky. "There's also a question here of whether the rest of the world will see an America that can be led by the nose into a military confrontation by an ally who acts out of turn," says the political scientist. "That's not a good message to send." Israel-Iran conflict: 'Deciding factor is likely Washington' To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video This article was originally published in German and was translated by Jon Shelton. Edited by: Jess Smee
