Kenya protests: 31 people killed in highest daily death toll since unrest began

ITV News

6 days ago

The death toll of anti-government protests in Kenya on Monday has risen to 31 – marking the highest single-day toll since demonstrations began earlier this year.
Another 107 people were injured and more than 500 were arrested amid widespread destruction of property, including supermarkets, the state-funded human rights commission said.
The watchdog did not say whether any security forces were included in the death toll. For weeks, Kenyans have taken to the streets to protest against police brutality, poor governance, the rising cost of living, and to demand President William Ruto's resignation over alleged corruption.
On Tuesday the UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, urged Kenya's government to address protesters' grievances and called for "calm and restraint, and full respect for the freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly".
Monday's protests coincided with the 35th anniversary of Saba Saba Day (meaning "Seven Seven" in Swahili), which saw Kenyans take to the streets in 1990 to demand free elections and a return to multi-party democracy.
That demand was realised during the 1992 general elections.
Protesters on Monday were met with police roadblocks preventing access to downtown Nairobi, while officers used tear gas and water cannons to keep demonstrators away. There have also been unconfirmed reports of police opening fire on protesters.
Video footage geolocated by ITV News' North American partner CNN shows a civilian in Kiambu County stepping out of a car surrounded by armed officers, and then being whipped repeatedly by one of them.
They cover their head to protect themself, and do not appear to be threatening the officer in any way.
In a statement on Monday night, Kenya's police service said that 'each reported incident will be subject to further investigation, in accordance with the law'.
A wave of protests was sparked by a teacher and blogger's death in police custody last month. Police shot a civilian at close range during a protest on June 17, prompting thousands of people across the country to take to the streets.
A total of 50 people have been killed in the protests over the last two weeks, more than half of whom last their lives on Monday alone.
Yesterday, the Kenya National Cohesion and Integration Commission, a government body whose commissioners are appointed by the president, urged politicians not to fuel ethnic tensions and criticised police for using excessive force towards protesters.Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen last week told police to 'shoot on sight' anyone who approaches police stations during protests after several were burned.
Public anger has built on Ruto's efforts to make Kenyans pay more to help pay off massive government debt.
Last year, thousands of young people protesting rising taxes stormed parliament, leading Ruto to promise to cut government spending.
Some people have been taking advantage of the chaos by looting shops, with some business owners saying they have lost large amounts of goods. "They invaded our shop, and by the way, we have lost so many things. We lost cash, phones, a lot of them,' mobile phone seller Nancy Gicharu said.
The clampdown comes after individuals described by the Kenyan Human Rights Commission as 'hired goons' who were 'sent by the state to silence dissent' stormed the NGO's office.
In a statement on Sunday night, the human rights body said those who entered the building 'violently disrupted a press conference by Kenyan mothers calling for an end to arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings targeting protesters ahead of Saba Saba demonstrations'.
A police spokesman said: 'The National Police Service is looking into the incident and shall take appropriate steps after reviewing the unacceptable clip.'
Earlier on Sunday, Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said security agencies were 'on high alert to deal decisively with criminals and other elements of ill intent who may seek to infiltrate peaceful processions to cause havoc, mayhem, or destruction of property'.
Murkomen previously described last month's demonstrations as 'terrorism disguised as dissent,' in a statement that further reignited outrage.