Kenyan authorities have failed to ensure justice for the killing of at least 31 people and other abuses by the police during protests throughout the country from March to July 2023, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report released on Monday.
Over a year later, investigations have not been finalized and not a single police officer or government official has been prosecuted for the killings or other serious rights violations, according to the report.
The 77-page report, ‘Unchecked Injustice: Kenya’s Suppression of the 2023 Protests’, documents that the police, under President William Ruto’s administration, committed grave rights abuses in response to largely peaceful opposition-led public protests.
The demonstrations were reportedly triggered by the high cost of living and alleged electoral malpractices following the August 2022 general elections.
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“Kenyan police brazenly and unlawfully killed, injured, and otherwise abused protesters and bystanders, including many children,” said Otsieno Namwaya, associate Africa director at Human Rights Watch.
“The government should ensure that the Independent Policing Oversight Authority and public prosecutions authorities are able to work effectively so that victims and their families receive justice for these crimes.”
HRW explained that the report is based on 226 interviews with survivors and witnesses in Nairobi, Kisumu, Nyamira, Machakos, Migori, Kisii, Siaya, Nakuru, Homa Bay, and Makueni counties.
It found that between March and July 2023, police used excessive and unnecessary force against protesters and bystanders, including by using lethal ammunition, kinetic impact projectiles, such as “rubber bullets,” torture and other ill-treatment, arbitrary arrests and unlawful detention, and committed serious abuses against children under the age of 18.
The organization also stated that the Kenyan police disproportionately and indiscriminately used tear gas, notably in and around schools, medical facilities, and residential areas.
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