Kenya’s Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) says security forces used “grossly disproportionate force” during four rounds of demonstrations that have left 65 people dead and more than 340 civilians wounded since mid‑June.
In a report released Thursday, IPOA investigators linked most of the fatalities—including 41 deaths on 7 July alone—to police gunfire and beatings. Seventy officers were also injured.
Key findings
- Officers repeatedly fired live rounds at close range.
- Victims included a 12‑year‑old girl watching television and street vendor Boniface Kariuki, shot point‑blank on 17 June.
- Looting and arson were carried out by what IPOA called “opportunistic goons,” but their actions did not justify lethal responses.
Official reaction
The National Police Service declined comment, pointing reporters to a 15 July Interior Ministry statement that blamed “anarchists and looters” for the violence. President William Ruto later instructed officers to shoot vandals “in the legs” to incapacitate rather than kill—an order rights groups say still violates international standards.
Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen has denied systemic brutality, branding the protests “terrorism disguised as dissent.” Three officers are already on trial for the custodial death of blogger‑teacher Albert Ojwang, whose case ignited the first march on 12 June.
Next steps
IPOA urged swift prosecutions, improved crowd‑control training and reparations for victims. Civil‑society coalitions, meanwhile, plan fresh rallies demanding an independent inquiry and the repeal of what they call “repressive economic policies” driving public outrage.