The use of live ammunition and crowd-control weapons left 65 demonstrators dead and hundreds more wounded and traumatized.
In June 2024, protestors gathered in Nairobi and other cities across Kenya, calling to reject Finance Bill 2024. In response, Kenyan security forces violently suppressed the protests. Internet communications used to circulate information about those killed and arrested were shut down, further endangering the lives of protestors.1 As a result, 65 Kenyans were killed by police and 60 demonstrators were abducted and disappeared, according to the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC).
Additionally, 1,574 people were unlawfully arrested as Kenyan law enforcement indiscriminately targeted peaceful protestors namely with tear gas and water cannons,2 violating the temporary court order prohibiting their use in these protests.3
Context
First introduced in May, the Kenya Finance Bill 2024 proposed an increase in taxes on certain daily necessities and services, including internet data, bank transfers, fuel, and diapers to help pay off the country’s debt.4 Amidst already increasing costs of living, the bill sparked outrage as Kenyans took to the streets to protest on June 18, leading to arbitrary arrests.
When news broke of the bill’s passing by the Kenyan parliament, thousands of protestors occupied the Parliament building on June 25, leading to a deadly police crackdown and illegal deployment of the Kenya Defense Forces.
Deaths and impacts on the health of protesters
The use of live ammunition to disperse protesters is illegal under international and Kenyan law. Nonetheless, security forces opened fire and killed 22 protestors on June 25 alone.5 According to the Police Reforms Working Group, one person was shot over 40 times between 10 pm and 1 am, hours after the protest ended.6
Additionally, the use of tear gas and other crowd-control weapons left both physical and mental tolls on the protestors. Exacerbated by the reported targeting of medical practitioners, including a medical camp to assist injured protestors, the health impacts were critical.7
Physicians attending to protesters reported treating dizziness, burns and fractures as a result of crowd-control weapon misuse. They added that some will suffer long-term injuries, mobility issues and mental health impacts such as post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety disorders.8
Attacks on human rights defenders and activists
The Kenyan police also targeted and arrested members of Amnesty International, Haki Afrika, and other human rights organizations. Dressed in civilian clothes and driving unmarked cars, Kenyan police had also abducted several youth activists who were believed to be vocal critics of Finance Bill 2024, including Billy Simani, Austin Omondi, and Lesley Muturi. 9
In response to the unrest, President Ruto ended up vetoing Finance Bill 2024 on June 28 and dismantling his Cabinet.10 However, anti-government protests calling for Ruto to resign carried on and continued into the month of August.11 Those arrested were later unconditionally released by the Courts after joint efforts by the KHRC, Law Society of Kenya, and other CSO partners. However, the KHRC reports that there has yet to be any accountability, including for the Kenyan police officers who fatally shot protestors outside of the parliament building. 12
Other recent episodes of violently repressed protests
In March 2023, thousands took to the streets following calls by opposition leader Raila Odinga to protest against high costs of living and alleged election fraud under President William Ruto. Riot police violently suppressed protests13 with indiscriminate use of tear gas,14 water cannons, kinetic impact projectiles, and live ammunition, leaving 12 dead and some 30 protesters injured by gunshot, according to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International Kenya. At the time, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International Kenya found that Kenyan authorities deployed riot police to violently suppress popular protests.
While historically opposition leaders have taken the lead in government protests,15 the 2024 protests are particularly significant because they were youth-led and primarily mobilized via social media. Coined the “Gen Z Revolution,” the youth have taken on the role of rallying supporters with the trending hashtag #RejectFinanceBill2024, expressing their discontent and demands, as well as live-streaming and sharing information on protests via platforms such as Instagram, X, and TikTok.16
Case study by Muna Khalidi, INCLO intern – September 2024.
- https://inclo.net/latest/statements/urgent-call-on-kenyan-government-to-guarantee-safety-of-protesters-and-internet-connectivity/ ↩︎
- https://inclo.net/latest/statements/urgent-call-on-kenyan-government-to-guarantee-safety-of-protesters-and-internet-connectivity/ ↩︎
- https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2024-06-28-court-stops-use-of-tear-gas-water-cannons-against-protestors ↩︎
- https://www.africanews.com/2024/06/26/kenyas-finance-bill-this-is-what-led-to-the-protest// ↩︎
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/6/26/kenya-protests-live-news-more-protests-expected-after-finance-bill-passed?update=3003794
↩︎ - https://khrc.or.ke/press-release/ruto-must-take-responsibility-for-protests-gross-human-rights-violations/ ↩︎
- https://phr.org/news/kenya-law-enforcement-must-avoid-using-dangerous-crowd-control-weapons-against-protestors-phr/ ↩︎
- https://nation.africa/kenya/health/the-untold-toll-of-protests-on-healthcare-system-4667868 ↩︎
- https://khrc.or.ke/press-release/finance-bill-2024-ruto-regime-must-end-repression-of-peaceful-protesters/ ↩︎
- https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/kenya-rocked-by-protests-4691970 ↩︎
- https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/east-and-southern-africa/kenya/what-behind-kenyas-protest-movement ↩︎
- https://x.com/thekhrc/status/1827988750527328256 ↩︎
- https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/05/31/kenya-end-abusive-policing-protests ↩︎
- https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/renewed-protests-kenya-authorities-vow-halt-descent-2023-03-30/ ↩︎
- https://www.africanews.com/2024/06/26/kenyas-finance-bill-this-is-what-led-to-the-protest// ↩︎
- https://www.csis.org/analysis/taking-charge-gen-z-leads-historic-protests-kenya ↩︎
