16 Dead, Mostly Killed by Police In Kenya Protests, Amnesty Kenya says

Sixteen lives were lost during nationwide protests in Kenya on Wednesday, June 25, 2020, most of them killed by police, the head of Amnesty Kenya said. This incident happened a year after deadly demonstrations against a tax bill culminated in the storming of parliament.

According to local media, thousands of Kenyans flooded the streets to commemorate last year’s demonstration, in which police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse them in the capital, Nairobi, resulting in the deaths of over 60 people.

Amnesty Kenya’s executive director, Irungu Houghton, told Reuters that some protestors clashed with police and 16 people were “declared dead as of 8:30,” adding that the figures were verified by the global rights watchdog and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR).

Houghton said, “Most were killed by police,” adding that at least five of the victims had been shot dead.

The government-funded KNCHR earlier said eight deaths had been reported across the country, all “allegedly from gunshot wounds.”

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According to KNCHR in a statement on its official X account, “Over 400 casualties have been reported, including demonstrators, police officers and journalists.”

The watchdog noted heavy police deployment and “allegations of excessive use of force, including rubber bullets, live ammunition, and water cannons, resulting in numerous injuries.”

Muchiri Nyaga, the Kenyan police spokesperson, declined to comment on the statements by Amnesty Kenya or the KNCHR.

In a statement made by the state-funded body Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), at least 61 people were arrested during the protests.

According to an official at the capital’s main Kenyatta National Hospital, the facility had received dozens of injured people, with 107 admitted, most with gunshot injuries, referring to rubber bullets and live rounds. He added that no deaths had been reported at KNH.

National electricity provider Kenya Power said one of its security guards was shot dead while patrolling its headquarters in Nairobi.

Large crowds were seen marching towards State House, the president’s office, in footage carried by Kenyan channel NTV before it was pulled off the air for ignoring an order to stop live coverage of the rallies.

However, both channels resumed broadcasts later after a court in Nairobi suspended the order issued by the Communications Authority of Kenya.