At least 16 were killed in protests marking the first anniversary of mass actions against neo-liberal tax hikes and continuing state repression.
Originally published in Fighting Words.
Social unrest in the East African state of Kenya accelerated during mass demonstrations marking the one-year anniversary of a police crackdown on youth protesters during 2024.
In more recent developments, a blogger was killed by the state after making critical online comments against the government of President William Ruto.
On June 25, in response to continuing repression, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in the capital of Nairobi and other areas to mark the anniversary as well as to express their anger over government impunity. During the 2024 demonstrations, 60 people were killed, almost all of them by the police.
Although Kenya is recognized as having the largest economy in the East Africa region, there is still massive poverty which exists in major municipalities and rural areas. The younger generation strongly objected to the tax bill which was proposed one year ago by parliament. After mass demonstrations and rebellions in various parts of the country during mid-2024, the legislation was scrapped by the parliament and the president’s office.
A coalition of organizations which called for the recent demonstrations on June 25 said that 83 people were injured and 16 killed. Police used teargas, concussion grenades, rubber and live bullets in their attempts to force the youth-led demonstrators off the streets. Demonstrators were blocked by the police when they attempted to march to the parliament building in Nairobi.
A statement issued by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), Police Reforms Working Group and the Kenya Medical Association (KMA) said of the situation that “We pray for our nation, dialogue and a way forward from the political impasse facing Kenya. We face an unfortunate paradox as a country where more lives are being lost as the people seek justice for the lives already lost. Our hearts break for all the victims of the continued trend of police brutality and excesses.”
Leading up to the recent large-scale demonstrations, there was accumulated outrage over the death of educator Albert Ojwang who was picked up by Kenyan police at his residence and driven to the capital of Nairobi under the guise of posting comments on his blog criticizing law-enforcement personnel. Police told the family of Ojwang that the teacher took his own life. However, Ojwang’s father said he did not accept the police version of his son’s death, that it was self-inflicted. In response to the journalistic exposure surrounding Ojwang’s death and the subsequent protests, a police officer has been indicted for murder.
A June 17 British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) report based upon an interview with the father of Albert Ojwang emphasized:
“But his father was concerned and decided to follow his son, making the 350 km (220 miles) journey to Nairobi – carrying the family’s land title deed as security in case it was needed to pay bail. He says he arrived at the station early on Sunday morning, and after being kept waiting for several hours, was eventually told that his son had died from self-inflicted wounds. In disbelief and standing next to his lawyer, he described seeing his son’s body: ‘He was bleeding from the nose and had a bruised torso and face. He was also shirtless, but this is not how I handed him over to the police on Saturday.’”
Eyewitnesses to the killing of Ojwang said that there were loud screams coming from the cell in which he was being detained. In a matter of days an internal investigation was underway which led to a parliamentary hearing.
The fact that a police officer was arrested in connection with the death of Ojwang is unusual. These measures are quite rare in Kenya where arbitrary acts of brutality against civilians by the police are normalized.
A statement posted on the Kenya National Commission for Human Rights (KNCHR) on the death in detention of Ojwang, says of the circumstances of his death:
“The Commission is alarmed by the fact that Omondi died in a police station, a place where suspects should be safe in State custody. This case highlights gross violations of the right to life, freedom from torture, fair administrative action, and human dignity, as enshrined in the Constitution of Kenya. The unexplained death in custody is a reprehensible breach of the State’s duty to protect those in its care and reflects a wider, deeply troubling pattern of deaths and abuses in police custody. The KNCHR demands full cooperation from the National Police Service in providing all relevant evidence, and a transparent, independent investigation by both KNCHR and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA). The Commission further calls on the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Judiciary to ensure accountability and justice are delivered without delay.”
News reports of the death of Ojwang led to demonstrations in the capital of Nairobi. On June 17, as protesters took to the streets in Nairobi, a street vendor was shot in the head by police. Boniface Kariuki, 22, was not involved in the demonstrations of that day and was in the area selling face masks to earn a living.
His injuries were very serious resulting in several surgeries and Kariuki surviving only due to life support equipment. His medical bills have piled up and the family is under duress seeking justice in the case.
Videos and photographs of the shooting of Kariuki have been widely published in the mainstream and social media. Although two police officers have been arrested in the shooting of the street vendor, the pattern of law-enforcement brutality and impunity will remain a problem until the system is fundamentally changed.
The country of Kenya with its population of 57 million is at a turning point. Two straight years of mass demonstrations and rebellions are a clear reflection of the internal crises of the political economy and the security apparatus.
Kenya Remains a Close Ally of Washington
In addition to being designated as having the largest economy in the East Africa region, the government is a strategic non-NATO partner with the U.S. and its imperialist allies. In a recent visit by the outgoing U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) Chairman, Gen. Michael Langley, the military operative commended Kenya for its role in cooperation with Washington.
Langley was reported to have said to the Capital FM news agency that:
“Gen. Langley described Kenya as an indispensable ally in regional security, particularly in counterterrorism operations. Kenya is a great partner for the U.S. When President Ruto came to the U.S. last year, we reaffirmed that partnership. What we have been doing — working in operations at my level in Somalia with Kenyan forces — is another example that reaffirms we are working together and moving forward. Yes, Kenya remains a Major non-NATO Ally.”
Despite the role of Langley in promoting U.S. imperialism on the African continent, it has been rumored that he is being replaced by Air Force Lt. Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson. Langley, who is African American, has been condemned by the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) for his verbal attacks leveled against the Transitional Leader of Burkina Faso, Capt. Ibrahim Traore.
The AES has expelled French troops from their territories. In Niger, the AFRICOM soldiers have been withdrawn while the U.S. drone station has been dismantled.
Kenya under the Ruto government agreed to send 1,000 police to Haiti in an agreement with the U.S. under the administration of former President Joe Biden. Haiti has been a central focus of U.S. foreign policy in the Caribbean seeking to keep the country under its influence.
This deployment of Kenyan police officers to Haiti met substantial opposition inside the East African state. The Supreme Court at the aegis of opposition politicians, declared the deployment unconstitutional.
Even though voices opposed to the deployment were loudly heard, Ruto went on anyway to send the police to Haiti. Since earlier this year, at least one Kenyan police officer has been reportedly killed.
These outbreaks of violence involving youth and the police require a broad-based coalition of progressive and left forces to unite to end the neo-colonial system of governance. An equitable distribution of national wealth and the reorientation of domestic and foreign policy away from the West would provide Kenya with a renewed framework for building a genuinely democratic society.
Abayomi Azikiwe is the Editor of Pan-African News Wire.
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