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Large crowds were seen heading toward State House, the president's official residence, in scenes broadcast by Kenyan channel NTV
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Reuters
NAIROBI - Fifty-six people were hospitalised, most of them with bullet wounds, after participating in rallies in Kenya on Wednesday to mark the one-year anniversary of deadly protests against a tax bill, a hospital source told Reuters. Thousands of Kenyans took to the streets to commemorate last year's demonstrations, in which more than 60 people died. Police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowds in the capital, Nairobi, according to local media and a Reuters witness.
It was not immediately clear who had fired the shots, and Kenyan police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga declined to comment on the injuries. Some protesters clashed with police, and an official at the capital's main Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) said the facility had received dozens of wounded individuals. "As of 1600 hours, 56 patients had been admitted to KNH with protest-related injuries. The majority had rubber bullet wounds," the hospital source told Reuters, adding that no deaths had been reported at the facility.
The source and Kenya's Citizen Television had earlier reported that at least 10 people had been hospitalised.
Large crowds were seen heading toward State House, the president's official residence, in scenes broadcast by Kenyan channel NTV before it was pulled off the air for defying an order to stop live coverage of the demonstrations.
The Communications Authority of Kenya’s directive was condemned by the Kenya Editors’ Guild, which called it "a gross violation of the Constitution."
"We have been switched off from all the signal broadcasters. We are now only live on YouTube and our website," a senior official at NTV’s parent company, Nation Media Group, told Reuters.
Kenyan broadcaster KTN was also taken off air, it said on its Telegram channel, adding that it would continue live coverage via YouTube, Facebook, and X.
Anger against police
Protesters torched court facilities in Kikuyu town, on the outskirts of Nairobi, Citizen TV reported. Flames and thick smoke were seen billowing from the court building in a video posted on the broadcaster's X account.
Isolated clashes were also reported in the port city of Mombasa, according to NTV, with protests erupting in towns such as Kitengela, Kisii, Matuu, and Nyeri.
Although last year’s protests faded after President William Ruto withdrew the proposed tax hikes, public anger has remained over the use of excessive force by security agencies. Fresh demonstrations have broken out this month over the death of a blogger in police custody.
Six people, including three police officers, were charged with murder on Tuesday over the killing of 31-year-old blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang. All have pleaded not guilty.
Ojwang’s death has become a rallying point for Kenyans still mourning those who perished during last year’s protests, widely blamed on security forces. His killing comes amid ongoing concerns over dozens of unexplained disappearances.
"We are fighting for the rights of our fellow youths and Kenyans, and for the people who died since June 25... we want justice," protester Lumumba Harmony told Reuters in Nairobi.
The unprecedented scenes on June 25, 2024, showing police firing at protesters as they breached barricades to enter parliament, marked the biggest crisis of Ruto’s presidency and sparked concern among Kenya’s international allies.
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