Nairobi, Kenya
CNN
—
Sixteen people have been killed and about 400 injured after thousands of people took to the streets in Kenya on Wednesday to protest against the government, Amnesty International Kenya has said.
The death toll was confirmed to CNN Thursday by Irungu Houghton, who heads the human rights organization.
Protesters took to the streets this week to mark one year since the anti-tax demonstrations last June, which left dozens dead and sparked nationwide outrage.
The demonstrations in 2024 forced the withdrawal of a controversial finance bill that raised taxes. However, many of Kenya’s youth are still enraged over several cases of alleged police brutality, including the death of a teacher in police custody and the shooting of an unarmed street vendor.
On Wednesday, thousands of people demonstrated in the capital of Nairobi, the coastal city of Mombasa and other towns to mark the protest anniversary.
In Nairobi, roads leading to the Kenyan Parliament building and the president’s office were barricaded ahead of the demonstrations.
CNN witnessed police shooting live rounds in Nairobi to disperse peaceful protesters Wednesday as government regulator, the Communications Authority of Kenya ordered all television and radio stations in the country to stop broadcasting live coverage of the youth-led march.
Several of the demonstrators showed spent cartridges. Demonstrators were also repelled with tear gas and water cannon trucks in the capital – reminiscent of last year’s dramatic scenes.
The government agency falsely claimed live coverage of the demonstrations violated Kenyan laws while threatening regulatory action for non-compliance with the directive.
Some Kenyan broadcast channels were taken off the air after resisting the directive but resumed coverage after a Nairobi court suspended the ban.
Kenyan civil society groups denounced the ban as unconstitutional, saying in a joint statement with Amnesty Kenya that live coverage of protests was crucial to deterring “excessive force and human rights violations by ensuring that actions are witnessed and recorded, thus fostering accountability.”
The Kenya Editors’ Guild described the ban as “draconian” and an assault on democracy.
Some 400 people were injured during demonstrations on Wednesday, according to another joint statement signed by Amnesty Kenya and groups including the Law Society of Kenya, Police Reforms Working Group and the Kenya Medical Association.
The statement said 83 of those hurt had serious injuries and at least eight protesters were treated for gunshot wounds.
