Kenyan Families Decry Police Killings After Saba Saba Protests

Families across Kenya are demanding justice after a wave of police shootings during the 7 July Saba Saba demonstrations left dozens of people dead and many others wounded. Local broadcasters report more than 30 fatalities, while autopsy results on five bodies confirmed death from bullet wounds. Among the dead are Denis Mwangi, shot outside his Kiambu home, and Harrison Wachira, whom witnesses say officers killed and dragged through Juja. In Nairobi’s Kangemi neighbourhood, Paul Makori and Anthony Maina were fatally shot, according to relatives. Teenage victims include 16-year-old Benedict Muthomi in Embu and 15-year-old Solomon Kibia in Limuru, who survived a leg wound but remains hospitalised. The violence has also left lasting injuries: Geoffrey Mugendi, 40, underwent a leg amputation after being hit by a police round despite saying he was not part of the protests. Rights advocates link the shootings to a recent shoot-to-kill order attributed to Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and argue that the government is turning the country into a ‘police state’. Bereaved families are calling for arrests of the officers involved, an independent inquiry into the use of live ammunition, and compensation for funeral and medical expenses. Human-rights groups say accountability will be a critical test of President William Ruto’s pledge to uphold civil liberties as Kenya marks the 35th anniversary of the pro-democracy Saba Saba movement.