By Nyang’au Araka
Amnesty International Kenya (AI-K) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) have asked the government to ensure accountability for past and ongoing human rights abuses.
The authorities should also take effective measures to prevent further deaths and injuries, the two agencies said in a report titled, “Unchecked Injustice: Kenya’s Suppression of the 2023 Anti-Government Protests.
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The report is a compilation of human rights violations during anti-government protests between March and July 2023, and a brief mention of the Gen Z protests in the middle of this year.
The report says that the government should address the root causes of the protests, including the government’s economic policies that deprive people of their economic, social, and cultural rights.
“Such tangible actions, including an acknowledgment of and compensation for the lives lost and the people injured, could help restore public faith in authorities and assure Kenyans that all human beings have equal rights under the law and equally deserve dignity and protection,” the report says.
Gen Z Protests
It observes force that police used against the June 18 protests organized by young Kenyans which began online and in cities and towns across Kenya was unjustified.
The youth were expressing outrage over provisions of the Finance bill 2024/25that would raise taxes on essential goods and services such as cooking oil and sanitary towels.
It was also likely to cause more charges on mobile money transfers, which were proposed at least in part to meet International Monetary Fund (IMF) revenue targets.
“The protests evolved to express broader outrage at the high cost of living, corruption, poor governance, wasteful government spending, and the abysmal state of public services,” the report says.
“Instead, authorities resorted to a heavy-handed approach with police shooting at protesters, using tear gas indiscriminately, and targeting and attacking media and journalists and civil society activists.”
It adds that police and suspected state agents also allegedly engaged in a spate of arbitrary arrests and detentions, abductions, and enforced disappearances.
“At the time of writing this report, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights has documented that at least 73 people have been abducted, 61 were killed and 1,765 had been arbitrarily arrested between June and November,” the report which was made public recently says.
It observes that civil society groups have released several public statements calling on President William Ruto to acknowledge, apologize, and ensure justice and accountability for police abuses since 2023.
“Revisiting the 2023 human rights violence one year on, it is clear that the lack of accountability for 2023 and other past abuses may have emboldened police and other state agents to violate rights in 2024,” the report says.
