Sixteen people have died and hundreds of others have been injured in nationwide anti-government protests in Kenya, a human rights charity has said.
It comes a year after deadly demonstrations against a tax bill resulted in the storming of parliament.
Most were killed by police, the head of Amnesty Kenya said.
Thousands of Kenyans took to the streets on Wednesday to commemorate last year’s protests, in which more than 60 people died.
Police used water cannons and fired tear gas to disperse demonstrations in Nairobi.
Amnesty Kenya’s executive director Irungu Houghton told Reuters that 16 people had been “verified as dead”.
“Most were killed by police,” he added, saying at least five people had been shot dead.
A riot police officer lobs a teargas canister. Pic Reuters
Mr Houghton said the number of deaths had been verified by the global rights watchdog and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR).
In a statement posted on X, the government-funded KNCHR earlier said eight deaths had been reported from across Kenya, all “allegedly from gunshot wounds”.
“Over 400 casualties have been reported, including demonstrators, police officers and journalists,” it said.
The watchdog noted heavy police deployment and “allegations of excessive use of force, including rubber bullets, live ammunition and water cannons, resulting in numerous injuries”.
Protesters marching to commemorate last year’s demonstrations. Pic: Reuters
Kenyan police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga declined to comment on the statements.
An official at the capital’s main Kenyatta National Hospital said it had admitted 107 injured people, “most with gunshot wounds” from either rubber bullets or live rounds.
Large crowds were seen heading in the direction of the president’s official residence in Nairobi, which had been barricaded with razor wire.
A helicopter flies as smoke rises in Nairobi. Pic: Reuters
The scenes were broadcast by Kenyan channel NTV before it and another were pulled off air after defying an order to stop showing the demonstrations live.
Isolated clashes were reported in the port city of Mombasa by NTV, with protests also taking place in towns including Kitengela, Kisii, Matuu and Nyeri.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority, a state-funded body, said in a statement that at least 61 people were arrested during the protests.
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Protests in June 2024 saw demonstrators shot dead and fires started inside the Kenyan parliament after politicians voted in favour of a controversial tax bill.
Protests faded after President William Ruto withdrew the bill, but public anger has remained over police brutality and the rising cost of living.
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