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Here is a summary from today’s blog:
Two protesters died from gunshot wounds and at least eight were injured in a town outside Nairobi on Wednesday as demonstrators marked one year since mass anti-government protests in Kenya. The demonstrations last year saw at least 60 people being killed and many more disappearing.
56 wounded people arrived at Kenyatta national hospital in Nairobi during protests, most of them with bullet wounds. A female police officer who had been attacked by protesters had also been brought in with head injuries.
Two Kenyan broadcaster were taken off air on Wednesday after authorities banned live broadcasts of anti-government demonstrations across the country. Communications authority of Kenya (CA) director general David Mugonyi said in a letter to the stations that the transmissions were illegal, with continued coverage risking “regulatory action”.
Katiba Institute, an organisation aimed at implementing Kenya’s constitution, has filed a petition against the police for blocking roads leading into and within Nairobi, branding the move “uunlawful”. There was a heavy police presence and the roads leading to parliament were barricaded with razor wire, as was president William Ruto’s statehouse office. During last year’s protests, demonstrators stormed parliament, burning part of the building as lawmakers fled.
The protests last year came as a response to a series of proposed tax increases which included hikes on sanitary towels, digital content, car ownership, and basics like oil and bread while many in the country were already grappling with a cost of living crisis.
56 people hospitalised in Nairobi during protests
An update to the number of people hospitalised in Nairobi during the protests today has raised the total to 56, most of them with bullet wounds, after participating in rallies on Wednesday to mark the one-year anniversary of deadly protests against a tax bill, a hospital source told Reuters.
It was not immediately clear who had shot the individuals, and Kenyan police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga declined to comment on the injuries.
Some protesters clashed with police, and an official at the capital’s main Kenyatta national hospital (KNH) said the facility had received dozens of wounded people.
“As at 1600 hours, 56 patients had been admitted at KNH from the protest related injuries. Majority had rubber bullet injuries,” the hospital source told Reuters, adding that no deaths had been reported at KNH.
It was earlier reported that at least 10 people were hospitalised at the facility.
Updated
