At least 39 people have died and 361 others have been injured in protests against a controversial tax hike bill in Kenya, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) said.
On Saturday, Human Rights Watch said that at least 30 people were killed during the ongoing violent protests in Kenya. The human rights group also accused Kenyan security forces of opening fire directly into crowds of demonstrators.
“Data from our records indicates that thirty-nine (39) people have died and three hundred and sixty-one (361) injured in relation to the protests countrywide,” the commission said in a statement on X.
In addition, 32 cases of enforced disappearances and 627 arrests were registered in the country during the protests, the statement added on Saturday.
Protests have been taking place across Kenya since mid-June, when authorities unveiled a bill imposing a 16% VAT on bread, sugar transportations, mobile and financial services, and foreign currency transactions, as well as a 2.5% excise on cars and vegetable oil. As protests ignited, President William Ruto refused to sign the bill and sent it back to parliament for reconsideration.
