16 People Died The Majority Shot By Police During The Clashes Of Kenyan Anti-government Demonstration

JAKARTA - A total of 16 people died in anti-government demonstrations in Kenya. Amnesty Kenya said the majority of victims were killed by the police.

Thousands of Kenyans took to the streets on Wednesday, June 25, to commemorate last year's demonstrations, in which more than 60 people died.

Police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse them in the capital Nairobi, according to local media and a Reuters witness.

Several protesters clashed with police, and 16 people were "declared dead until 08.30," Amnesty Kenya Executive Director Irungu Houghton told Reuters on Thursday, June 26.

This figure is verified by global rights supervisors and the Kenyan National Human Rights Commission (KNCHR).

"Most of them were killed by police," Houghton said, calling five victims shot dead.

The government-funded KNCHR previously said eight deaths across the region were from gunshot wounds.

"More than 400 victims have been reported, including demonstrators, police officers, and journalists," said KNCHR.

The regulatory agency noted large numbers of police deployments with excessive use of force, including rubber bullets, active ammunition, and water cannons.

Kenyan police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga declined to comment on Amnesty Kenya or KNCHR's statement.

The state-funded agency, Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), said 61 people were arrested during the protests.