The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Tuesday raised concerns over the Saba Saba day protests in Kenya, where dozens of civilians killed and others injured.
Dozens others were injured in the protests on Monday July 7.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk condemned the human rights abuses in Kenya and offered to support Kenya in addressing the challenges and in the investigations.
“We are deeply troubled by the killings yesterday of at least 10 people, as well as looting and destruction of property in Kenya as police and other security forces responded to violent protests in the capital Nairobi and at least 16 other counties. Lethal ammunition, rubber bullets, tear gas, and water cannons were used,” said the OHCHR through its spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani.
Türk called for calm, restraint, and full respect for the freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly. “It is essential that legitimate grievances at the root of these protests are addressed,” he said.
The High Commissioner also urged that all killings and violations of human rights “to be promptly, thoroughly, independently and transparently investigated.”
“Under international human rights law, intentional lethal force by law enforcement officers, including with firearms, should only be used when strictly necessary to protect life from an imminent threat,” added Türk.
During the July 7, 2025 protests, police reported that 11 civilians were killed and 567 arrests made. The National Police Service (NPS) said 52 officers and 11 civilians were injured, 12 police vehicles, 3 government vehicles and 4 civilian vehicles damaged.
The protests witnessed on Saba Saba day came barely a fortnight after 19 civilians were killed on June 25. Then, Kenyans protested in commemoration of the killing of over 60 people during widespread anti-tax demonstrations in June 2024.
In both occasions, property worth billions of shillings was destroyed.
This is after goons infiltrated the protests and embarked on a looting spree.
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