Interior CS Kindiki says 42 people, not 61, died during Gen Z protests

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki insists that 42 people lost their lives as a result of the Gen Z-led protests and not 61 as reported elsewhere.

Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Administration and Internal Security, Kindiki on Thursday provided a list of the deceased individuals to the committee.

"There were 42 cases of people who lost their lives during the Gen Z demonstrations," he said.

The CS also revealed the total number of arrests made during the protests, highlighting that 1,208 individuals were detained, with many of the cases still pending in court.

"A total of 1,208 people were arrested countrywide during the Gen Z demonstrations, and most of the cases are still pending before court for various charges,” he added.

He was responding to questions by Ugenya MP David Ochieng who had asked for a detailed report, including names of the affected.

The Interior CS explained that the Committee received a report detailing the deaths of 30 individuals during the protests and the circumstances surrounding these fatalities.

He requested 24 hours to provide information on the remaining 12 cases, assuring the Committee that the government has nothing to hide.

"What I'm pleading is to be given 24 hours to provide the other 12 in supplementary information; as I've said the government has nothing to hide. We cannot hide the fact that a Kenyan has died. What we need to do is to find the circumstances in which they died and if there's culpability even by a security officer, we ensure that justice is served," Kindiki said.

His figures conflict with findings from Amnesty International and other human rights groups released on Wednesday, which criticised the police actions during the protests as chaotic and uncoordinated.

"The level of violence and disregard for human rights during the protest is unacceptable. The authorities had ample time to prepare for a peaceful protest, but instead, the response was characterised by excessive use of force," read the report by the rights groups.

The report also revealed that there have been 67 cases of enforced disappearances this year, with 40 cases resolved so far, leaving 27 unresolved.

The International Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU) reported conducting 49 autopsies on victims of the protests.

According to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), human rights organisations helped “release over 300 persons illegally detained” on June 25.

"As of the end of August, the Law Society of Kenya had documented 72 people that had been abducted, released, or were still missing in relation to the protests. Thirteen disappeared on June 25, and a further 23 went missing within seven days of this protest,” the report added.

Going further, CS Kindiki also defended the police response to the protests, insisting that there is no evidence of brutality.

He claimed that the government does not support abductions and stated that there is no proof linking the police to the 132 Kenyans still missing.

"Myself, including the President himself, have made it clear that this administration does not condone abductions or extra-judicial killings or enforced disappearances," Kindiki said.

"If police never used lethal force during the invasion of Parliament, we would never have a Kenya like we have today. The fact that a Kenyan was shot in the vicinity of police during the protests is not evidence enough that the police are the ones who shot the Kenyans,” he added.