Crime & Scandal

104 people killed by police in 2024 – report

Arnold Ngure 07th May, 2025 08:57 PM

A police officer lobs teargas on protesters in Nairobi on July 24,2024. PHOTO/@SemaUkweliKenya/X

At least 104 people were killed by police officers in the country in 2024, a report has said.

The report by the Missing Voices organisation indicated that most of the killings took place between June and August 2024, when a majority of the people died or were abducted.

“Most cases of extrajudicial killings took place during the Gen Z demos between June and August, with June recording the highest number of cases at 38, 11 July cases and 9 August, bringing police killings cases to 58 during the protest period,” the report states.

While noting that the deaths recorded slightly dropped by 12 per cent from the year 2023, when police killed 118 people, more people were abducted in the year 2024.

The report equally revealed that of the total cases of extrajudicial killings, only two per cent are taken to court and prosecuted by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).

Breakdown of the deaths

The majority of the people killed by police officers came from Nairobi, with 38 cases, Kiambu County had 9 cases, Migori had 6 cases, while Kakamega and Nakuru counties had 5 cases each. Makueni and Uasin-Gishu counties registered four cases of extrajudicial killings each.

The majority of those killed by police officers were 79 youth aged between 18-34 years, followed by 18 adults and 7 minors below 18 years.

Also to note is that 91 per cent of those killed by police officers were males compared to 9 per cent females during the year 2024.

In its analysis, the report excluded some 50 unclaimed bodies lying at the City Mortuary with bullet wounds after they were reported to have been booked at the height of the Gen Z protests.

A crime scene tape at a scene of crime. PHOTO/Pexels — A crime scene tape at a scene of crime. Image used for representation purposes. PHOTO/Pexels

“While these bodies were booked at the height of the protest, Missing Voices has yet to verify and establish the link to police action independently,” the coalition said.

“Missing Voices highlighted the 50 cases, even though they are not part of our verified totals. There are two people whom the police said had committed suicide. They have been documented as deaths while in police custody,” they added.

Abductions

Abductions increased by 450 per cent between the year 2023 and 2024, with cases reaching 55, up from 10 reports in the year 2023. Before then, 2019 had the highest number of cases of enforced disappearances at 38, according to the coalition.

During the signing of a working agreement between Raila Odinga’s ODM Party and President William Ruto’s UDA Party two months ago on March 7, 2025, Nairobi senator Edwin Sifuna said that compensation of victims of police brutality was one of the conditions for the agreement.

“Most victims of enforced disappearances were neither prosecuted nor allowed to demonstrate their innocence in a court of law. They have not received justice or compensation by the time of the report,” the report, however, notes.

Former Chief Justice David Maraga said the stories and accounts covered in the report underscore the urgent need for systemic change and reform of the police and other state institutions to ensure respect for human rights, human dignity, and professionalism in policing and governance.

“The government also needs to strengthen the independence of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, the Independent Police Oversight Authority and other governance oversight mechanisms by adequately funding them,” Maraga stated.