Nationwide Protests: Death Toll Rises to 53 as Police Use Excessive Force
Three more individuals were killed on Tuesday amid the ongoing nationwide anti-government protests, raising the death toll to 53 since the demonstrations began approximately a month ago.
Police continued to employ excessive force during the protests, firing indiscriminately at the demonstrators.
In Kitengela, Kajiado County, a protester was shot dead when demonstrations became chaotic after police deployed tear gas canisters.
Another fatality occurred in the Nairobi Central Business District, where CCTV footage captured the moment a protester was shot by police.
During the chaos on Moi Avenue in Nairobi, police used lethal force, killing a youth who was attempting to flee the scene.
CCTV footage at noon showed three individuals fleeing from the police; moments later, one of them collapsed after a police vehicle sped past him.
This vehicle, part of a fleet with obscured license plates and manned by officers in plain clothes and masks, was rapidly moving along the road, discharging tear gas and live ammunition.
Numerous protesters sustained injuries during the demonstrations, with Bliss Moi Avenue Hospital treating at least 30 individuals, some with gunshot wounds. Critical cases were transported to nearby referral hospitals.
ALSO READ:
- Rigathi Gachagua Responds to Raila Odinga’s Claim That He Can’t Fix Kenya’s Problems
- Miguna Miguna Criticizes New IEBC Chair Erastus Ethekon, Calls Him a Ruto Ally- ‘Not Independent’
- Matiang’i: No Scores to Settle, I Just Want to Fix My Country
- IEBC Breaks Silence on Alleged Plot to Rig 2027 Elections
- Kenya’s President Ruto Mourns Former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari
At one point, doctors had to abandon their patients and seek cover when police fired tear gas canisters into the hospital, causing widespread panic.
For the first time since the protests began, police deployed a rare orange powder to disperse protesters.
Authorities claimed the powder, feared to be toxic by some, was designed to cause itching and mark protesters for identification.
In response, the Ministry of Interior and National Administration recommended establishing a Coroner General’s office to investigate deaths, including those caused by police actions.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) reported that Tuesday’s fatalities increased the death toll to 53 since the protests began.
The commission also documented 82 additional injuries, bringing the total to 574. Furthermore, there were 77 new arrests, increasing the total to 1,201 since the protests commenced.
Nationwide Protests: Death Toll Rises to 53 as Police Use Excessive Force
