- The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has shared updates on the investigations into deaths that happened during the anti-government protests held across the country on June 25, 2024. These protests had spread nationwide as Kenyans took to the streets to express their frustrations with the government. In a statement sent to newsrooms, IPOA revealed that 60 deaths were recorded during the protests. They have already completed investigations into 22 of these deaths, while 36 cases are still being pursued. Two cases have reached the courts.
( Source/citizen digital)
According to reports by Citizen Digital, the two cases currently before the courts involve Rex Masai and Evans Kiratu, who were shot dead in Nairobi during the protests. Police officers are the main suspects in these killings. IPOA has broken down the status of the 22 completed investigations, explaining that 8 are undergoing internal review, 4 are almost ready to be sent to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP), 2 were closed internally, 4 have already been forwarded to the ODPP, and 3 were closed based on directions from the ODPP.
Among the 60 deaths recorded, the distribution shows the heavy toll across several counties. Nyeri recorded 8 deaths, Kakamega and Kisumu each had 6, Nakuru had 4, while Eldoret and Mombasa had 3 deaths each. Meru reported 1 death. These numbers paint a grim picture of how widespread the violence was and how deadly the confrontations became in various towns.
IPOA Chairperson Issack Hassan/IPOA/FILE
Apart from the deaths, IPOA said it documented 233 injury cases related to the protests. Out of these, 191 are still under investigation. The remaining cases include 42 that were closed internally and 2 that have been forwarded to the ODPP.
However, IPOA mentioned that their work has not been smooth, pointing out that some police officers and witnesses have refused to cooperate, which has slowed down the investigations.
This update from IPOA comes shortly after a BBC documentary exposed serious misconduct by police officers during the June 25 protests. The documentary focused on the events at Parliament buildings in Nairobi, where some protestors were shot dead. The footage reportedly identified officers who gave orders to shoot, and others who actually fired the shots, killing three young men. BBC journalists said they reviewed over 5,000 images to understand how the events unfolded and where both the shooters and victims were positioned.
A brief report shared by Citizen Digital.
BBC later said that Kenyan authorities blocked the screening of the documentary at Unseen Nairobi cinema on Monday evening. The screening was to be followed by a panel discussion.
A BBC spokesperson expressed disappointment and informed the public that the documentary is still available to watch on the BBC Africa YouTube channel. This act of censorship adds more concern over how the government is handling the issue, especially when it involves accountability for state violence.
