By Abdi Ali
Published December 16, 2024
Kenyan authorities have failed to ensure justice for the killing of at least 31 people and other abuses by police during protests throughout the country from March to July 2023.
Amnesty International Kenya and Human Rights Watch say “Unchecked Injustice: Kenya’s Suppression of the 2023 Protests” report. Over a year later, not a single police officer or government official has been prosecuted for the killings or other serious rights violations.
The 77-page report documents that the police, under President William Ruto’s administration, committed grave rights abuses in response to largely peaceful opposition-led nationwide protests 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,” says 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.”
The report is based on interviews with survivors and witnesses in Nairobi, Kisumu, Nyamira, Machakos, Kisii, Siaya, Nakuru, Homa Bay and Makueni counties.
Amnesty International Kenya and Human Rights Watch urge President Ruto to ensure that IPOA is free to conduct its work independently and call on the necessary authorities to follow up on IPOA recommendations.
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Further, the Kenyan government should address the root causes of past and ongoing protests, including the government’s economic policies that deprive people of their economic, social, and cultural rights. This could include enacting or expanding social security measures to ensure the income security of those injured by authorities and unable to work, as well as the surviving dependents of those killed, the two organizations said.
“Kenyan authorities should work hard to regain public faith and demonstrate that they can deliver people-centered and human rights-focused reforms,” says Irungu Houghton, executive director of Amnesty International Kenya. “They could start by ending impunity for police abuses during protests and enacting tangible remedies to address the negative impacts of the government’s economic policies.”
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