Statement on Human Rights Concerns During the Saba Saba Anniversary Demonstrations

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) is closely monitoring the ongoing situation as the country commemorates the historic Saba Saba Day. As of 1830hrs today, the Commission had documented ten (10) fatalities, twenty-nine (29) injuries, two (2) cases of abduction and thirty-seven (37) arrests across seventeen (17) counties.

The Commission noted that significant police barricades were erected on major roads and entry points, severely disrupting the movement of people, particularly in Nairobi. Additional blockades were reported in Kiambu, Meru, Kisii, Nyeri, Nakuru and Embu. Many citizens were unable to report to work, despite the directive issued yesterday by the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Geoffrey Ruku, requiring all Government employees to report to work without fail.

Numerous businesses nationwide remained closed due to fears of looting and destruction. Looting incidents were reported in six (6) counties, and the Kerugoya Central CDF office was set ablaze by suspected criminal elements. Learning was paralyzed across the country as most schools and educational institutions remained closed. The Commission received distress calls from patients unable to access health facilities due to road closures. Hundreds of passengers were stranded at roadblocks as public transport, including air and rail, was severely disrupted.

The KNCHR has noted that the police have continued to flagrantly disregard a High Court order mandating that all officers managing demonstrations be in official uniform and remain identifiable at all times. The Commission observed numerous hooded officers, not in uniform, traveling in unmarked vehicles while patrolling Nairobi, Kajiado and Nakuru counties. Additionally, the presence of criminal gangs wielding crude weapons, including whips, wooden clubs, machetes, spears, bows and arrows, was noted in Nairobi, Kiambu, Kajiado and Eldoret. In Nairobi and Eldoret, these hooded gangs were seen operating alongside police officers.

The Commission further condemns the attack yesterday by hired thugs who raided the offices of the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), brutalizing staff and innocent members of the public lawfully exercising their constitutional rights to assembly and expression. Journalists covering the event at KHRC were also harassed and robbed. The Commission calls for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the masterminds and perpetrators of this attack, who were clearly captured on CCTV footage.