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Kenya’s Saba Saba Protests Leave 31 Dead; UN Demands Independent Inquiry

Rights groups are pressing for accountability following Interior Secretary Murkomen’s directive authorizing lethal force against anyone approaching police stations.

ADDITION: CLARIFIES DATE - Anti-riot police barricade roads to Parliament buildings with razor wire, ahead of demonstrations to mark the historic 1990 Saba Saba (a Swahili word that means seven seven) protests for democratic reforms in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, July 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
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ADDITION: CLARIFIES DATE - An armed police vehicle parks on road ahead of demonstrations to mark the historic 1990 Saba Saba (a Swahili word that means seven seven) protests for democratic reforms in the Kangemi slum of Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, July 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Overview

  • Kenya National Commission on Human Rights reports 31 fatalities, 107 injuries and 532 arrests during July 9 Saba Saba demonstrations.
  • Interior Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen instructed police to use lethal force against anyone approaching stations, prompting human rights outcry.
  • The United Nations Human Rights Office and domestic watchdogs call for an independent, transparent investigation into alleged police killings and defiance of court orders.
  • Security forces in plainclothes have been accused of colluding with armed gangs wielding machetes and spears to suppress protesters.
  • The youth-led movement, now in its 13th month, has mobilized nationwide demanding President Ruto’s resignation and reforms on corruption and economic hardship.