The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has dismissed President William Ruto's claims on a reported ‘massacre’ in Nairobi’s Githurai area.
This comes shortly after the head of state, during a media roundtable at State House Nairobi on Sunday, said that only 19 people died since the anti-finance bill protests began, which rights groups, including KNCHR, placed higher.
These remarks follow Tuesday’s anti-Finance Bill protests, where unconfirmed reports emerged that the police and military forces murdering people in the residential area late in the night.
Ruto accused the commission of falsely reporting that 20 people were killed in the Githurai ‘massacre.’
However, KNCHR chairperson Roseline Odede dismissed Ruto's claims, maintaining that the commission did not give such a statement.
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“We the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights have not issued any statement on Githurai. We are still in the process of confirming the happenings in Githurai, Rongai, Migori, Nakuru, and other parts of the country.”
“From data in our possession, we had reports of 22 deaths arising from the protests, as of Wednesday when we made our last statement, and that is what we reported,” she added.
Further, she said that the commission has confirmed 24 deaths since the protests began on June 18.