Human Rights Commission in Kenya demands accountability following the deaths of 31 individuals and injury of 107 during the ‘Saba Saba’ protests across the nation.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) documented two abductions following Monday’s events, which commemorated the 1990 uprising against the undemocratic rule in the East African country.
Updating their initial report that cited 10 deaths and 29 injuries, the commission also stated that at least 532 individuals have been arrested.
Protesters clashed with police in Nairobi, the capital, and Eldoret, resulting in accusations from the KNCHR that police collaborated with armed gangs equipped with machetes and spears.
Widespread destruction of property was reported, including the looting of supermarkets.
The KNCHR expressed strong condemnation for all violations of human rights and called for accountability from all parties involved, including police, civilians, and other stakeholders.
Monday’s protests marked Saba Saba Day, named after the date when Kenyans demonstrated for the return of multi-party democracy on July 7, 1990, following years under President Daniel arap Moi.
These protests come in the wake of over a year of predominantly youth-led demonstrations across Kenya, beginning in June 2024 when proposed tax increases led to widespread discontent over issues like the economy, corruption, and police violence.
Participants have also been calling for the resignation of President William Ruto.
The Law Society of Kenya and Police Reforms Working Group reported that “heavily armed police with military-grade weapons were deployed in violation of court orders, using masks and unmarked vehicles to conceal their identities”.
In total, the Police Reforms Working Group stated that protests took place in 20 of Kenya’s 47 counties on Monday, with reports of violence in cities like Nairobi, Kajiado, Nyeri, Mombasa, among others.
By Tuesday, the total death toll from the protests since they began last year has exceeded 100, including at least 16 deaths in nationwide rallies against police brutality and government corruption on June 25, less than two weeks prior.
Cabinet Secretary for the Interior, Kipchumba Murkomen, instructed police last week to “shoot on sight” anyone approaching police stations during protests, following several police stations being burned.
The Kenya National Cohesion and Integration Commission, a government body, criticized politicians for inciting ethnic tensions and denounced the police for using excessive force against protesters.
Before the updated death toll was announced, the United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) expressed grave concern over the killings of protesters on Monday.
Ohchr highlighted that the deaths occurred “amid reports that police and security forces used lethal force to quell violent demonstrations in Nairobi and across the country”.
