Kenya's Saba Saba Protests Result in at Least 11 Deaths, Police Service Says
Kenya's Saba Saba Protests Result in at Least 11 Deaths, Police Service Says
While the majority of Kenyans maintained law and order, some were engaged in multiple criminal acts, the National Police Service said in a statement.
The police reported the following incidents:
▪Injured: 52 police officers, 11 civilians;
▪Damaged vehicles: 12 (police), 4 (civilian), 3 (gov't);
▪Number of arrests: 567 (including an MP).
Meanwhile, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) expressed serious concerns over Monday's protests, citing:
Excessive roadblocks: major disruptions to movement due to police barricades, impacting citizens' ability to work.
Business closures: widespread business closures due to fears of looting (which were reported in six counties).
Unlawful policing: police disregard for a High Court order requiring uniformed, identifiable officers during demonstrations (including the presence of hooded, unidentifiable officers in unmarked vehicles).
Criminal gangs: reports of criminal gangs operating alongside police in Nairobi and Eldoret, using crude weapons.
Moreover, the government must immediately cease the "harassment" of civil society organizations, human rights defenders (HRDs), and the criminalization of legitimate human rights work, the KNCHR urged, as over 20 HRDs have been beaten, arrested, charged, or summoned in the past week.
ℹ The 2025 Saba Saba protests, which commemorated the 1990 demonstrations against one-party rule, were driven by rising living costs, corruption, and police brutality.
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