Kenyan Police Clashe Again With Demonstrators, 56 People Become Majority Victims Of Gunshot Wounds

UNSPLASH/Tito Texidor III ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - A total of 56 people were hospitalized, most of whom suffered gunshot wounds, after protests in Kenya commemorated a year of deadly protests against the tax bill ending in clashes.

Thousands of Kenyans took to the streets to commemorate last year's demonstration that killed more than 60 people.

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

It was unclear who shot them, and Kenyan police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga declined to comment on the incident.

An official at Kenyatta National Hospital in the capital said it received dozens of injured people.

"As of 16.00 p.m., 56 patients have been treated at KNH due to injuries related to the protests. The majority have suffered rubber gunshot wounds," the hospital source told Reuters, Wednesday, June 25.

A large crowd was seen heading towards the State House, the presidential office, in a broadcast broadcast broadcast by the Kenya NTV channel before the show was finally stopped.

"We have been turned off from all signal broadcasters, now we only get live broadcasts on YouTube and websites," said a senior official at NTV parent, Nation Media Group.

Separate clashes reportedly occurred in the port city of Mombasa, according to NTV, with protests also taking place in the cities of Kitengela, Kisii, Matuu, and Pain.

Although last year's protests eased after President William Ruto withdrew the proposed tax increase, public anger persists over the use of excessive force by security authorities, with new demonstrations of the death of a blogger in police custody.

Six people, including three police officers, were charged with the murder of 31-year-old blogger and teacher, Albert Ojwang. All of them pleaded not guilty.

Ojwang's death has sparked outrage for Kenyans who are still grieving over those who died in last year's demonstrations, blamed on security forces, with the background of dozens of missing people being unexplained.

"We are fighting for the rights of fellow youth and Kenyans as well as those who have died since June 25, we want justice," Lumumba Harmony, a protester, told Reuters in Nairobi.