Eight die in Kenya clashes while honouring dozens killed at protests in 2024

At least 16 people were killed and 400 injured in Kenya yesterday when a nationwide demonstration to honour those killed during last year's anti-government protests turned chaotic, with police clashing with protesters in different parts of the country.

- Carlos Mureithi

A joint statement from groups supporting the protests said 83 people had been seriously injured and at least eight people were being treated for gunshot wounds.

"We pray for our nation, dialogue and a way forward from the political impasse facing Kenya," said the statement from the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), the Police Reforms Working Group and the Kenya Medical Association.

Thousands of Kenyans took to the streets early yesterday to pay tribute to more than 60 people who died when police opened fire on a crowd that tried to storm parliament while MPs inside legislated to raise taxes.

"We face an unfortunate paradox as a country where more lives are being lost as the people seek justice for the lives already lost," LSK's president, Faith Odhiambo, said on X. "Our hearts break for all the victims of the continued trend of police brutality."