Poor police response blamed for demo deaths

Youth demonstrate during Gen Z protests in Nairobi. [File, Standard]

Human rights groups have cited poorly coordinated police response for the many deaths during Gen Z protests at Parliament.

During the unveiling of a report in Nairobi, the groups criticized the police for allowing the breach of Parliament, a key public installation, which resulted in the death of multiple protesters and damage of property.

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and several lobby groups said there are protesters that are yet to be accounted for three months after the demonstrations.

"There are missing Kenyans who have not been found even after official complaints. The authorities are either looking the other way or adamantly refusing to address our issues," said LSK Vice President Mwaura Kabata.

The groups included the Amnesty International, the Independent Medical Legal Unit (IMLU), Kenya Defenders Coalition, Article 19, and Medics for Kenya.

"The Parliament protest was announced several days in advance. Authorities had adequate time to facilitate the protest and minimize the potential for injury to any person and damage to property," the report says.

"Precautionary measures, for example by cordoning off Parliament buildings while facilitating the protests nearby, should have been taken. Videos show that police neither formed a clear cordon around Parliament nor facilitated the protesters."

The groups say that people responsible for the deaths of protesters outside Parliament were men in civilian clothes who shot at them using rifles and handguns.

"Researchers counted at least 45 shots fired within 56 seconds."

The rights organisations now want the establishment of a commission of inquiry into the deaths, injuries, and disappearances during the youth protest that left some 27 persons unaccounted for according to the groups.

The six lobby groups also claimed there was a return of torture chambers making reference to the 30-day disappearance of the Kitengela three.

They also accused the police of attacking medics who were attending to injured protesters.

According to Amnesty International, the petition which calls for the formation of a judicial commission of inquiry, has been signed by 12,000 people.

"We have to call for accountability and the prosecution of all officers who have committed crimes like homicide and violating the right to assemble and free expression," said its Executive Director Irungu Houghton.

He said the petition will be presented to the National Assembly and that they will engage other stakeholders like the Judiciary and will reach out to law enforcement agencies to allow them to correct their behaviour.

"We have to hold accountable institutions that are operating with no regard to the law," said Houghton.

Grace Wangechi from IMLU said they had documented 61 deaths from the demos and have so far conducted 49 autopsies and that 27 protesters were still missing.

"We are calling for the immediate release of these 27 wherever they are being held," said Wangechi.

She called on Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to put in motion efforts to ensure human rights are respected by the police and policing in the country meets the required standards.

LSK is still collecting information that will be consolidated into a petition that will be pushing for the compensation of families that lost loved ones or protesters who sustained injuries from the demos.