A report by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights has revealed that 39 people have been killed in the recent wave of anti-finance bill protests across the country.
The toll released by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights is nearly double the total previously acknowledged by the government for those slain while protesting the tax bill.
"Data from our records indicates that thirty-nine people have died and three hundred and sixty-one injured in relation to the protests countrywide," the state-funded body said in a statement, adding that the figures covered the period from June 18 to July 1.
It also said that there had been 32 occurrences of "enforced or involuntary disappearances"
When MPs passed the contentious legislation last Tuesday, what had been generally peaceful anti-tax marches organized by Gen-Z protestors turned into horrifying scenes of lethal violence.
After the result was revealed, crowds looted the parliament facility in central Nairobi, which was partially set ablaze while police fired live bullets at protestors.
It is a major problem Ruto has faced since taking office in September 2022, following a profoundly divided election in a country typically regarded as a symbol of stability in a volatile area.
"The Commission continues to condemn in the strongest terms possible the unwarranted violence and force that was inflicted on protesters, medical personnel, lawyers, journalists and on safe spaces such as churches, medical emergency centers and ambulances," the KNCHR said.
"We maintain that the force used against the protesters was excessive and disproportionate."
