At least 16 dead, hundreds injured in Kenya’s anti-government protests

At least 16 people have been killed and over 400 others injured during widespread anti-government protests in Kenya, according to Amnesty International and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.

The protests, held on Wednesday, erupted across the country with demonstrators decrying police brutality and government corruption. Most of the casualties—among them protesters, police officers, and journalists were reported in the capital, Nairobi.

Victims suffered injuries from live bullets, rubber bullets, and beatings. The demonstrations marked the one-year anniversary of a major youth-led uprising against proposed tax increases, during which at least 60 people were killed by security forces, rights groups say.

Thousands of citizens returned to the streets to honor those who died and to continue calling for accountability.

In Nairobi, protesters waved Kenyan flags, displayed photos of slain demonstrators, and chanted slogans like “Ruto must go,” aimed at President William Ruto, whose tax policies triggered the unrest. “I came here as a young Kenyan to protest.

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We are doing this for those who were killed last year,” said 24-year-old Eve in an interview with AFP.

“The police should be protecting us, but instead they kill us.” Angel Mbuthia, chairperson of the opposition Jubilee Party’s youth league, emphasized the symbolic importance of the protest date. “June 25th matters to young people.

They lost friends, people who looked like them, spoke like them, and stood for good governance,” she said. Demonstrations were also reported in towns outside Nairobi, including Matuu, about 100km from the capital, where clashes with police occurred.

Authorities responded by blocking major roads into Nairobi’s city center and surrounding government buildings with razor wire. In an apparent attempt to control the narrative, the government directed television and radio stations to suspend live broadcasts of the protests.