The Kenya Human Rights Commission announced Wednesday that police authorities killed at least three protesters on Wednesday and another seven on Tuesday. The deadly protests come only a week after police shot and killed two stone-throwing protesters from the nationwide taxation protests. As a result of the violence, Kenya’s Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) announced Thursday that they had launched an investigation into shooting incidents in seven cities across the country.
The demonstrations, among many others organized by opposition Azimio leader Raila Odinga and his supporters, are aimed at voicing opposition to the recent tax measures introduced in the new finance bill, which received presidential assent in late June. The bill sparked outrage among Kenyans feeling the financial strain of increased taxation.
Use of lethal force by law enforcement in the region has several times before led to severe injuries and death to civilians involved in the crossfire. Critics of the Kenyan government argue that the response by law enforcement may have been excessive, highlighting concerns about the exercise of police power against protestors.
The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) alongside other civil society organizations continue to condemn the alarming pattern of police brutality in the region. A member of the County Assembly, where last week’s shooting incident occurred, Jennipher Obonyo has petitioned the IPOA to get to the root cause of the matter and take action against the police officer responsible for the crime.
On Thursday, the IPOA announced they had opened investigations “into various incidents that have occurred in parts of the country, during mass protests that have pitted the police against members of the public.” Because policing surrounding the recent protests has turned deadly on more than one occasion, the IPOA said it was only proper to launch an investigation. Specifically, the agency plans to investigate shooting incidents from Kisumu, Kisii, Makueni, Machakos, Nairobi, Kajiado and Migori.
Azimio leaders continue in their steadfast mission to oppose the government as they launch a citizen initiative to remove from office current President William Ruto from office.
