At least 10 people have died in Kenya’s latest wave of anti-government protests marking the 35th anniversary of the historic Saba Saba democracy movement, according to the state-run Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.
Police opened fire on demonstrators in Nairobi and other cities as protests spread to 17 counties, with authorities sealing off government buildings and setting up roadblocks up to 13km from the capital’s center.
The violence erupted as Kenya commemorated the July 7, 1990 Saba Saba protests that helped end one-party rule. In Nairobi’s Kangemi suburb, Dr. Aron Sikuku of Eagle Nursing Home confirmed receiving two bodies with gunshot wounds, while hundreds of protesters gathered outside demanding to retrieve the victims.
The human rights commission accused police of collaborating with armed gangs and using excessive force, reporting 29 injuries and 37 arrests nationwide along with two alleged abductions.
Demonstrators lit fires and attempted to breach police cordons in Nairobi’s Kamukunji area, the original site of the 1990 protests, with officers responding with tear gas and water cannon. In eastern Kenya’s Meru County, a Makutano shopping center burned as thick black smoke filled the air, while one protester was shot dead in Ol Kalou town.
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga canceled his planned appearance, condemning what he called Kenya’s “rogue police force that shoots people with impunity” while calling for police reforms.
The protests, led largely by Gen Z activists demanding government accountability and justice for police brutality victims, continue unrest that saw 19 killed last month during anti-tax demonstrations.
The violence follows Sunday’s attack by an armed gang on the Kenya Human Rights Commission headquarters, where assailants stole equipment from journalists covering planned women-led protests.
As Kenya’s youth revive the Saba Saba legacy of resistance, the government’s heavy-handed response threatens to further inflame tensions in East Africa’s largest economy.
