The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) has warned President William Ruto, cautioning him against using violence on peaceful protesters demonstrating against the Finance Bill 2024.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, KHRC condemned the actions of the police, who were seen firing their guns at demonstrators marching along City Hall Way earlier.
“KHRC has witnessed police firing their guns when protesters marched along City Hall Way. KHRC warns police against shooting protesters,” the statement read.
The human rights authority expressed concern over the government’s handling of the protests, calling it an attack on democratic principles.
“To President @WilliamsRuto: the world is watching your descent into tyranny! Your regime’s actions are an assault on democracy,” KHRC stated.
KHRC demanded accountability for those responsible for the violent response to the demonstrations.
“All those involved in the shooting – actively or passively – must be held to account,” the commission insisted.
The protests dubbed #OccupyParliament and #RejectFinanceBill2024 led by youths across the country, have seen citizens take to the streets in opposition to the proposed Finance Bill.
Arrest, kidnapping of protesters
Earlier, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) condemned the arrest and intimidation of vocal personalities and social media influencers involved in the protests against the contentious Finance Bill 2024, calling these actions unlawful.
In a statement released on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, LSK President Faith Odhiambo criticized the government’s use of excessive force and police brutality, which has led to abductions.
“Over the last 72 hours, Kenya has been drawn back to the dark era of a rogue, irrational police force operating through repressive, retrogressive, clandestine, illegal, extra-judicial tactics to forcefully quell public dissent against misgivings of government, lapses in governance and more specifically, the contentious Finance Bill 2024,” the statement read.
Adding;
“The unprecedented unity and ingenuity that has become characteristic of the current wave of protests has caused disquiet within government and the regrettable reaction has been the deployment of the brutal, disproportionately retaliatory police force.”
The LSK highlighted incidents where vocal personalities and influencers have faced threats, surveillance, and privacy violations.
They secured the release of Billy Simani, also known as Crazy Nairobian, who was abducted in Nakuru on Saturday, June 22, 2024, and released in Eldoret later that night.
“After failing to impose criminal charges against innocent protestors who were subjected to arbitrary arrests and despite lacking justification to qualify any degree of force against the largely peaceful protestors, the police have turned to intimidation of perceived leaders, mobilizers, and facilitators of the protests. Several vocal personalities and social influencers have reported that they have been threatened, physically trailed, had their communications arbitrarily monitored and privacy unlawfully infringed.”
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