NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — An investigation began Friday in Kenya into police actions during protests against a government plan to impose new taxes, the country’s police watchdog said.
Kenya Independent Policing Oversight Authority chairperson Anne Makori commended the protesters for demonstrating peacefully and urged police to exercise restraint, noting the killing of a protester and injuries sustained by protesters and police officers .
Thousands of protesters marched in the Kenyan capital Nairobi and other major cities and towns across the country on Thursday, demanding that lawmakers reject a finance bill that has imposed new taxes on Kenyans.
The mother of the young man shot and killed during the protests told reporters that her son was leaving work when tear gas was thrown in his direction and police shot at fleeing demonstrators.
Gillian Munyao said her 29-year-old son, Rex, was with some friends when he fell after being hit in the left leg.
“His friend noticed that he had fallen and went to check on him, but saw that he was bleeding profusely. He asked a passerby to help them, but the police who walked up to them refused to help them,” she told reporters outside City Mortuary, where her son’s body lies.
The Kenya Red Cross said on Thursday that 39 people were injured, eight of whom were in critical condition.
At least 200 people were injured during the protests, according to a joint statement from the Law Society of Kenya, Kenya Medical Association, Defenders Coalition, Independent Medical Legal Unit and Amnesty International.
The International Commission of Jurists on Thursday asked the Independent Policing Oversight Authority to investigate incidents of police brutality during the protests.
“We reiterate that the use of live bullets against demonstrators is disproportionate and unlawful,” said ICJ President Protas Saende.
Police would not yet comment on the killings and injuries sustained during the protests, but a statement from Inspector General Japhet Koome said officers “would not approve or condone the attempts of protesters to occupy critical government infrastructure.”
Protesters trying to gain access to parliament buildings where Thursday’s debate on the financing bill took place were confronted with water cannons, tear gas canisters and rubber or live bullets.
The funding bill – which proposes new levies on health insurance, taxes on vegetable oil and an additional fuel tax – has passed its second reading and a final vote is expected next week. The government changed some controversial proposals, including a value-added tax on bread – which was previously zero-rated – and an environmental tax on goods that would have affected the prices of sanitary towels and diapers.
