At least 16 people have been killed and 400 injured in Kenya as a nationwide demonstration to honor those killed during last year’s anti-government protests turned chaotic, with police clashing with protesters in different parts of the country.
Amnesty International Kenya’s executive director, Irũngũ Houghton, told Reuters the death toll had been verified by the government-funded Kenya national commission on human rights. “Most were killed by police,” he said.
Thousands of Kenyans took to the streets to pay tribute to more than 60 people who died during last year’s protests, which climaxed on 25 June with an attempt to storm parliament while MPs inside passed legislation to raise taxes.
In the city center where many businesses were closed, thousands gathered for the march, waving Kenyan flags and placards with images of victims of last year’s protests. Others lit street fires and chanted slogans against Ruto. Later, violence ensued, with police firing teargas and water cannons and hitting protesters with batons, while protesters threw stones and other objects. The planned marches also developed into clashes between civilians and police in the cities of Mombasa, Nakuru and Kisumu and other parts of the country.
The communications authority of Kenya ordered TV and radio stations to stop live coverage of the protests, threatening those that failed to follow the directive with regulatory action.
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