Police crack down on Kenyan protesters with deadly force a year after anti-tax uprising

Sheena Goodyear · CBC Radio

· Posted: Jun 25, 2025 6:23 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

When Sophie Mugure Njehia took to the streets of Nairobi connected Wednesday, she didn't expect anyone to die.

Njehia was among the thousands of radical who demonstrated crossed Kenya connected Wednesday to mourn the much than 60 radical killed during a monolithic anti-government protestation 1 twelvemonth ago. 

"In my naivety, I thought contiguous would beryllium specified a peaceful time due to the fact that we were conscionable commemorating those who died past year," Njehia told As It Happens big Nil Kӧksal.

"But contiguous conscionable turned into a protest, due to the fact that the constabulary could conscionable not fto america be."

Much similar past year, Wednesday's protests saw heavy equipped officers battling young demonstrators successful the streets of Nairobi and crossed the country. The decease number is not yet clear, but rights radical Amnesty Kenya reports that 16 radical were killed arsenic of Wednesday evening — astir of them by police. 

Kenyan constabulary spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga declined to remark connected the reported deaths.

Tear gas, h2o cannons and unrecorded ammunition

Amnesty Kenya's enforcement manager Irungu Houghton told Reuters its tally has been verified by the planetary rights watchdog and the Kenya National Commission connected Human Rights (KNCHR). At slightest 5 of the victims were changeable dead, helium said. 

Earlier successful the day, the government-funded KNCHR reported 8 deaths crossed the country, each "allegedly from gunshot wounds."

The watchdog said determination were much than 400 casualties successful total, and noted a dense constabulary deployment and "allegations of excessive usage of force, including rubber bullets, live ammunition and h2o cannons, resulting successful galore injuries."

Njehia, who streaked her look with toothpaste to neutralize the effects of teardrop gas, says she saw constabulary deploy the state against demonstrators, on with rubber bullets, unrecorded ammunition and h2o cannons.

"I saw a young radical of radical who are consenting to bash immoderate it takes to guarantee that their aboriginal is bright, and to guarantee that our federation is decently governed," said Njehia, 29, a subordinate of the protestation radical Revolutionary Gen-Z Movement. 

"On the different side, I saw a authorities that is acrophobic of the younker of its country. I saw a authorities that was not consenting to perceive to the young people. And I person seen a authorities consenting to termination us."

Anti-tax protests go thing bigger

What began past twelvemonth arsenic an uprising against projected taxation hikes connected an already impoverished colonisation person since morphed into a wide question against corruption, the rising outgo of surviving and authorities violence.  

And that movement, Njehia says, is youth-led.

"Our biggest information present is our deficiency of hope, is our disillusionment, is our deficiency of jobs, is the information that our imaginable to beryllium large is going down the drain," said Njehia.

The median property successful Kenya is 19, and astir 40 per cent of the colonisation lives successful poverty, according to authorities figures.

"We're consenting to hazard a batch due to the fact that this authorities has proven to america that they are not acrophobic of sidesplitting us," Njehia said. "And if they don't termination america physically, past they termination our anticipation and they termination our dreams."

Last year's protests subsided aft a little than a week, erstwhile Kenyan President William Ruto withdrew his projected taxation hikes.

But nationalist choler has lone intensified implicit those killed successful the June 2024 clashes, arsenic good arsenic different deaths and unexplained disappearances that followed. 

"We are warring for the rights of our chap youths and Kenyans and the radical who died since June 25," said Lumumba Harmony, a protester successful Nairobi. 

Protester Derrick Mwangi said the younker of Kenya are "fed up.

"People are being abducted, radical are being killed," helium said. "The constabulary person started utilizing unit which is precise atrocious astatine this rate."

Most recently, protesters person rallied successful the sanction of Albert Ojwang, a 31-year-old blogger and teacher who died successful constabulary custody earlier this month.

Six people, including 3 constabulary officers, were charged with his execution connected Tuesday.  All person pleaded not guilty.

"Had we not gone to the thoroughfare connected Monday of 11th of June, they would person covered up that death," Njehia said. "So successful Kenya, thing has changed."

President pleas for calm, authorities shuts down TV news 

Ruto connected Wednesday urged protesters not to "destroy" the country.

"We bash not person different state to spell to erstwhile things spell wrong. It is our work to support our state safe," helium said portion attending a burial successful coastal Kenya arsenic protesters charged towards his Nairobi office.

The Communications Authority of Kenya ordered section media to halt airing unrecorded broadcasts of the demonstration.

Kenyan channels NTV and KTN were temporarily pulled disconnected the aerial for defying the order, but reassumed broadcasting aft a tribunal deemed it unconstitutional. 

"It conscionable proves that the authorities is doing thing wrong, and that is wherefore they don't privation the masses to spot what they're doing," Njehia said.

She called connected the planetary assemblage to enactment the protesters. 

"Things are not getting immoderate better. In fact, things are getting worse. And we request help," she said.

"Those successful the planetary justness system, they request to travel and assistance america oregon other we volition die, each of us."

With files from Reuters and The Associated Press. Interview with Sophie Mugure Njehia produced by Cassie Argao