Kenya protests turn violent as court, activists demand justice for victims of police brutality

Two people were shot dead and several others injured on Wednesday as fresh protests erupted in Nairobi and across major Kenyan cities, marking the anniversary of last year’s deadly anti-tax demonstrations that left over 60 people dead.

Protesters clashed with police who fired tear gas and live rounds to disperse the crowds. In Nairobi, human rights activist Hussein Khaled led calls for justice for those killed last year.

“64 Kenyans were killed in cold blood. Not a single officer has been held to account,” Khaled said. “We want justice in terms of arrests, compensation, and real police reforms.”

Angry demonstrators, many of them young people, denounced what they described as President William Ruto’s poor leadership and growing authoritarianism.

“You can see people have gathered here to say Ruto’s governance is very bad. People are being abducted and killed,” protester Derrick Mwangi said. “We are fed up.”

Businesses in the capital remained shut, and access to the city center was heavily restricted. The protests have spread to Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, and Nyahururu.

Despite a government warning that Wednesday would be a “normal working day,” thousands took to the streets, honoring the victims of past police crackdowns and voicing their frustration with corruption, rising living costs, and unaddressed human rights abuses.