Kenyan Police Under Scrutiny for Violent Crackdown on Protesters

On June 25, Kenyan police in civilian clothes fired live rounds at demonstrators outside the parliament complex. Amnesty International detailed events involving at least 45 shots in 56 seconds, multiple deaths, and arbitrary arrests. President William Ruto faces a major crisis resulting in sacking his cabinet and abandoning a finance bill.

On June 25, Kenyan police in civilian attire opened fire on protesters at the parliament complex in Nairobi, as revealed by Amnesty International on Wednesday. This alarming event saw officers, devoid of identification badges and police uniforms, engaging in active shooting and mass arrests of demonstrators, according to Irũngũ Houghton, Amnesty's Kenya director.

Efforts to reach the national police for comments were unsuccessful. The tragic incident is part of broader protests against a controversial finance bill that claimed over 50 lives, marking President William Ruto's most significant political upheaval since taking office in 2022. In a drastic response, Ruto scrapped the bill and dismissed nearly his entire cabinet.

The demonstration initially started peacefully but escalated into violence when protesters stormed parliament. As unarmed demonstrators entered the premises, video evidence showed men in civilian clothes firing rifles and handguns into the crowd and air. Amnesty reported at least 45 shots fired in under a minute, corroborated by multiple eyewitness accounts and visual media.

The rights group's report confirmed the presence of armed civilians working alongside police, implicating them in unlawful firing of tear gas, inflicting beatings, and arbitrary detentions. The aftermath included retaliatory actions from protesters, who threw back tear gas canisters, hurled stones, and caused minor property damage.

(With inputs from agencies.)