Stones and debris still littered the streets in the center of Kenya’s capital on Thursday, as a leading human rights group said the death toll from nationwide protests a day earlier had climbed to 16.
Thousands of people turned out across Kenya on Wednesday to protest government corruption and police brutality, many waving Kenyan flags and chanting that President William Ruto “must go.” The demonstrators clashed with security forces, who fired live rounds, rubber bullets and tear gas.
Irũngũ Houghton, the executive director of Amnesty Kenya, said on Thursday that the death toll had risen overnight to 16 — most of whom, he said, had died from gunshot wounds. Among the dead was Fred Wamale Wanyonyi, a security guard who had been stationed at the headquarters of Kenya Power, according to the nation’s electricity supplier.
More than 400 people were injured, an alliance of human rights groups reported on Wednesday evening, including over 80 people with serious wounds.
The Kenya National Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Independent Police Oversight Authority, a government-funded police accountability body, said in a preliminary report released Wednesday evening that at least 61 people had been arrested and that protests took place in around half of the country’s 47 counties.
Local media reported on Thursday that police stations had been set ablaze and shops had been looted in different places across the country. The full extent of the damage was not immediately clear.
In the center of the capital, Nairobi, banks and shops that had been closed on Wednesday amid a heavy security presence reopened under dark skies and a cold, drizzling rain. Rocks and fragments of concrete — likely used during the demonstrations to block traffic — were heaped into piles on the roadsides. Shopkeepers and pedestrians were hesitant to talk about the protests, citing fear of government retribution.
Kenya’s government had barred all television and radio stations from live coverage of the protests as they gained momentum on Wednesday, a move that was broadly condemned by media associations and rights organizations. The messaging app Telegram was also restricted, according to the internet watchdog group NetBlocks. A petition was filed to overturn the government’s radio and television blackout and a court later suspended the ban.
The protests commemorated the anniversary of massive demonstrations last year that left over 60 people dead. Dozens of people were abducted, interrogated and tortured in the aftermath of those protests, which were ignited by a contentious bill to increase taxes.
Kenya’s police have repeatedly denied targeting protesters during the 2024 demonstrations, and Mr. Ruto has also said that all those abducted or disappeared have been returned to their families.
In the year since, the tensions that spurred protests have not abated. On Wednesday, many protesters expressed continued frustration with the lack of economic opportunities, government corruption and police brutality.
Eve Sampson is a reporter covering international news and a member of the 2024-25 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their careers.
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