NAIROBI: Amnesty Kenya reports that at least 16 people were killed during Wednesday’s rallies throughout Kenya, with the majority of those slain being shot by police.
The protests took place to commemorate a year since over 60 people were killed in rallies against a tax law.
In a number of towns, crowds flocked to the streets, and some of them clashed with police. In the capital, Nairobi, police broke up the crowds using water cannons, rubber bullets, and tear gas, according to a Reuters witness and local media accounts.
Irungu Houghton, the Executive Director of Amnesty Kenya, told Reuters that 16 people had been “verified dead as of 8:30am” after some protesters and police battled. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) and the international rights monitor confirmed.
