16 People Killed, Over 400 Others Injured In Kenya’s Anti-government Protest

Source: Africa Publicity

At least 16 persons have been killed in the ongoing anti-government protest in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, rights group, Amnesty International, has reported.

Additionally, over 400 people including 300 police officers have been injured.

On Wednesday, June 25, 2025, thousands of people took to the streets in Kenya on to protest against the President William Ruto government.

Amnesty International country director in Kenya, Irungu Houghton, confirmed the death toll on Thursday, June 26.

Kenyans took to the streets this week to mark one year since the anti-tax demonstrations in June 2024, which left dozens dead and sparked nationwide outrage.

The demonstrations in 2024 forced the withdrawal of a controversial finance bill that raised taxes.

However, many Kenyan youth are still enraged over several cases of alleged police brutality, including the death of a teacher in police custody and the shooting of an unarmed street vendor.

On Wednesday, thousands of people demonstrated in the capital of Nairobi, the coastal city of Mombasa and other towns to mark the protest anniversary.

In Nairobi, roads leading to the Kenyan Parliament building and the president’s office were barricaded ahead of the demonstrations.

Denials

Kenyan police have been accused of using excessive force on protesters

But Kenya’s interior minister,

Kipchumba Murkomen denied that the police used excessive force during Wednesday’s protests.

The Minister described the protests as “terrorism disguised as dissent” and an “unconstitutional attempt” to change the government, thanking Kenya’s security agencies for their “remarkable restraint amid extreme provocation” crediting them with helping to “foil an attempted coup”.

According to the Minister, “We condemn the criminal anarchists who in the name of peaceful demonstrations unleashed a wave of violence, looting, sexual assault and destruction upon our people.”