ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa is concerned with the Kenyan government’s sanction of police violence and use of live bullets on protesters. This refusal to condemn police brutality goes against the Constitution, and against national and international laws to which the country has pledged to uphold and recognise.
On Tuesday 25 June and Thursday 27 June, people in Kenya, comprising mostly of young people (referred to as Generation Z), led protests across at least 35 counties across the country. Since the protests began on Tuesday, 18 June 2024, there have been over 300 persons illegally detained, 22 people shot dead, 271 persons injured, 24 people abducted and tortured, and huge amounts of public and private property destroyed.
The government response to the #RejectFinanceBill2024 protests has included the abduction of human rights defenders, content creators, law students, journalists, and a staff member from the Office of the Leader of the Minority Party of the National Assembly. The country watched on live television as the Kenyan police opened fire on civilians using live ammunition in Nairobi and other parts of the country; and later unwarranted and indiscriminate shootings in Githurai-45/Thika Road in Kiambu County.
‘ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa condemns the indiscriminate attack on unarmed civilians, peaceful protesters, medical personnel, lawyers, journalists, media personalities, and human rights defenders. It is extremely sad that during the protests, a uniformed doctor was shot by police while attending to an injured protester inside a medical camp’, said Mugambi Kiai, ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa Regional Director.
On 25 June, the President of Kenya addressed the nation and ordered the deployed of its security agencies, including the Kenya Defence Forces, to systematically attack its civilian population in a bid to suppress dissent. This is in direct violation of its obligations under the Constitution of Kenya, domestic legislation, and the regional and international treaties it is a party to, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
ARTICLE 19’s Free to Protest campaign is active across the country, working with partners to protect Article 37 of the Constitution of Kenya (CoK), which expressly provides for the Right to Peacefully Assembly and Petition. Since the protests began, we have been working with the Police Reforms Working Group Kenya, calling for the government to respect the rule of law and protect human rights principles while policing protests.
ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa calls upon the police to stop criminalisation of the right to protest. We urge the security forces to respect the rule of law and promote the right to assembly. ARTICLE 19 will continue supporting victims of the police violence to seek legal redress for human rights violations as provided for in the Constitution.
For more information please Contact Mugambi Kiai at [email protected] or Catherine Mbui ([email protected])