Police killed over 33 in post-election protests report

Police killed at least 33 people in protests that broke out in parts of Nairobi after the announcement of President Uhuru Kenyatta as winner of the August 8 election, which was later annulled by the Supreme Court.

This is according to a 37-page report titled Kill Those Criminals’: Security Forces’ Violations in Kenya’s August 2017 Elections, released on Monday, October 16, by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW).

The two human rights groups also reported that hundreds of people were injured in the post-election protests that erupted in Mathare, Kibera, Babadogo, Dandora, Korogocho, Kariobangi, and Kawangware slums between August 9 and 13.

When contacted by Citizen Digital, Nairobi Police Commander Japheth Koome declined to issue an immediate comment on the report which accuses police of shooting and brutalizing protesters.

However, the Inspector General of Police, Joseph Boinnet, has disputed the report by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch saying it is misleading and based on falsehoods.

Last week on Monday, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) also released a similar report showing that 37 people died and 126 others were injured during post-election chaos witnessed between August 9 and 15.

KNHCR’s report dubbed Mirage at Dusk indicated that 35 of the 37 deaths were caused by excessive use of force by the police.

Twenty-seven deaths were recorded in Nairobi, three each in Kisumu and Tana River and one each in Homa Bay and Elgeyo Marakwet.

Speaking on Citizen TV during the Citizen Extra segment today morning, police spokesman Charles Owino disputed the statistics issued by the human rights groups but could not issue a specific figure on the number of the August post-poll victims.

The reports come amid an ongoing wave of weekly protests in perceived opposition strongholds where National Super Alliance (NASA) supporters are demanding key reforms at the electoral commission ahead of the repeat election set for October 26.

Beginning today, NASA leaders have vowed to embark on daily protests, even as the government maintains it will not allow the protesters to stage demos in the city centres of Nairobi, Kisumu and Mombasa.