After conflicting accounts, police report sheds light on Githurai night of terror

As video clips, images, and confessions of what transpired in Githurai last Tuesday, in a night of terror that followed deadly, destructive demonstrations against the Finance Bill, 2024, a police report has shed light.

The report from the Githurai-Mwiki Police Station indicates that a protest that began peacefully turned riotous when an alleged group of about 6,000 became violent and lit a bonfire on a road in the area.

"Police officers led by the sub-county commander tried to negotiate with them to peaceably disperse but they refused and started pelting the officers with stones. A proclamation was read by the sub-county commander but they did not disperse instead turned very violent," states the report filed under OB Number 46/25/06/2024 at 9.15 pm.

The police add that teargas was fired at the protesters but they overpowered the officers forcing them to withdraw.

What followed, according to the police, was more violence that saw their Land Cruiser vandalised and torched, as the protesters followed them to the police station and surrounded two other stations.

In the process, 20 officers suffered injuries to their limbs, were rushed to various hospitals, and released in fair condition.

"During the demonstration, 740 blanks and rounds of spent cartridges and more than 700 pieces of teargas canisters were used to disperse the violent rioters," the statement added.

Rights groups' reports

Following the terror, social media has been awash with differing casualty figures, with some claiming victims were carried away by officers and that their bodies were not at the mortuaries in the area or the city at large.

On Wednesday morning, a group of human rights organisations called a press briefing and declared that its tally as collated by a setup situation room had compiled at least 30 deaths in Githurai alone from the night's operation. The group added that an assessment was ongoing to verify the data "that could go up.

In a national address that evening, President William Ruto regretted that the widespread expression of dissatisfaction with the bill resulted in the loss of six lives, the destruction of property, and the desecration of constitutional institutions such as the parliament buildings.

Criticism followed, with the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) describing the president as lacking the consoling taste of remorse from a father who has lost his family members.

"The young men and women killed yesterday are children of this great nation to which you are the constitutionally mandated father. For weeks, these young people called on you to hear their cries of pain and suffering. Every day, they wrote to you offering suggestions and airing their sentiments via social media while some even came together, and gathered in groups to present their views to the National Assembly's committee on Finance and Budget but all their cries fell on deaf ears," LSK President Faith Odhiambo noted at a press briefing on Wednesday, calling for a probe into the Githurai incident.

"We call upon the international community to conduct independent investigations on the massacre meted out to the residents of Githurai, Nairobi, on the night of June 25, 2024. I dare ask, is Githurai a protected area? Is Githurai an area where members of the public should not stay ... should not live? Why was there a massacre where people were living peacefully? We demand answers to those questions."

On Saturday morning, Odhiambo called on Githurai residents to reach out to the society for further assistance.

Residents of Githurai please reachout to LSK https://t.co/sziTzESMGp

— Faith Odhiambo (@FaithOdhiambo8) June 29, 2024

On Friday morning Dagorretti MP Beatrice Elachi claimed that the night operation was in search of Parliament's mace that the police thought was hidden in the area. It was one of the items protesters stole after invading Parliament and setting a truck and a building on fire.

In an interview on Radio 47, she said, "What has been puzzling to me is, who told these people that the mace that was carried away was taken to Githurai, and that they had to move door to door in search of the item without getting anything. Is it that the CCTV cameras in parliament cannot trace and point to who carried it?"

As the public seeks answers, at least 20 rights organisations have demanded that the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) do its work in probing and recommending action against security agencies using excessive force against civilians taking part in the wave of protests sweeping the country.

In a June 19 letter to IPOA Chairperson Anne Makori, 20 local and international civil society groups based in Kenya, under the Police Reforms Working Group, appealed to the IPOA to probe police violations, urgently and in detail.