Thousands marched through the streets of Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, and 26 other counties on Wednesday to mark one year since citizens rejected the contentious finance bill backed by President William Ruto.
At least 82 people were reported dead, with hundreds more wounded and another significant number missing in last June’s protests.
To mark the anniversary, young Kenyans organised a peaceful march as part of a National Day of Remembrance to honour the lives lost during last year’s protests and to renew their call for justice.
However, the commemoration soon turned violent as Kenyan police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters.
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Roads leading to the Kenyan parliament building and the president’s office were barricaded ahead of the demonstrations.
In Mombasa, some protesters were arrested and hauled into police trucks.
The Communications Authority of Kenya, the government regulator, earlier ordered all television and radio stations in the country to stop broadcasting live coverage of the youth-led march.
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Irungu Houghton, Amnesty Kenya’s executive director, told Reuters that some protesters clashed with police, and 16 people were “verified dead as of 8:30”.
Houghton added that the figures were verified by the global rights watchdog and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR).
“Most were killed by police,” Houghton said, adding that at least five of the victims had been shot dead.
Earlier, KNCHR had pegged the death figures at eight, all “allegedly from gunshot wounds”.
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“Over 400 casualties have been reported, including demonstrators, police officers and journalists,” the commission said.
In a joint statement, the Law Society of Kenya, Police Reforms Working Group and the Kenya Medical Association urged the police to exercise restraint in controlling the protests.
