"They wanted to kill me", says female police officer attacked during June 25 anniversary protests

As Police Constable Emily Kinya lay bleeding on the pavement, surrounded by shouts of “Let’s kill her,” her thoughts turned to her children.

In that moment, she feared they would grow up without a mother, not because of crime, but because of the very people she was sent to protect.

Kinya, who has served in the National Police Service since 2013, was among officers deployed to control crowds along Muindi Mbingu Street during Wednesday’s demonstrations in Nairobi.

The protest marked one year since anti-government rallies began, but it turned violent.

In a widely shared video, Kinya is seen fleeing with a group of unarmed officers before she stumbles and falls. The pursuing crowd quickly catches up.

“The protesters overwhelmed us,” she said from her hospital bed during an interview with Citizen TV.

“As we were withdrawing, I got hit on the foot, and then I fell. That is when they caught up with me.”

Some urged the crowd to kill her.

“Luckily, a few tried to shield me. But there were those behind who kept hitting me and chanting, ‘Let’s kill her. They’ve killed one of us,” Kinya recalled, her voice heavy with emotion.

The officer, a mother of two, says the experience has left deep emotional scars on her family. Her children are still shaken by the images and news of what happened to her.

“We are human beings, too. Our lives matter,” she said.

“The moment was very depressing. It was short but ugly. You can’t even tell what really happened,” the police officer said.

She suffered a head wound and a foot injury. Her mobile phone and police gear were stolen in the chaos. In a moment of compassion, a few protesters placed her in a waiting ambulance.

Though in pain, Kinya is grateful to be alive. But the emotional trauma may take longer to heal for her and her children.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has since then condemned the attack and warned against targeting police officers, calling for firm action against those involved.

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He urged officers not to hesitate to use their guns if their lives or public property are under threat.

“When someone comes to the police station and wants to take over the government’s office, the police gun and your life, shoot him,” said Murkomen during an address to police officers.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) says at least 19 people were killed on Wednesday, June 25, during protests across the country, according to their data shared on Friday.

In addition, the Commission reported four rape cases, two individual and two gang rapes, alongside one attempted gang rape. While the protests occurred in more than 20 counties, it remains unclear where the sexual violence cases were recorded.