Kenya protests turn deadly as 16 killed, most by police, Amnesty Kenya says
Thousands of people took to the streets a year after deadly demonstrations against a tax bill culminated in the storming of parliament
Sixteen people died during nationwide anti-government protests in Kenya on Wednesday, most of them killed by police, the head of Amnesty Kenya said, a year after deadly demonstrations against a tax bill culminated in the storming of parliament.
Thousands of Kenyans took to the streets to commemorate last year’s demonstrations, in which more than 60 people died, with police firing tear gas and water cannons to disperse them in the capital Nairobi, according to local media and a Reuters witness.
Some protesters clashed with police, and 16 people were “verified dead as of 8.30”, Amnesty Kenya’s executive director Irungu Houghton said, adding that the figures were verified by the global rights watchdog and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR).
“Most were killed by police,” Houghton said, 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”.
“Over 400 casualties have been reported, including demonstrators, police officers and journalists,” KNCHR said in a statement shared on social media.