Saba Saba demos death toll climbs to two as man succumbs to injuries in Kisumu
Residents march into town along Jomo Kenyatta Highway in during Saba Saba protests in Kisumu City Centre on July 7, 2023. Two people died during the protests.
The number of people killed in the Friday Saba Saba protests rose to two on Saturday after one of the four victims of the demos admitted to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga hospital in Kisumu succumbed to injuries.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga had on Friday urged Kenyans to take to the streets against tax hikes by President William Ruto’s administration.
Police are said to have used live bullets in some parts of the country during the demos even as they fired lobbed teargas canisters in Nairobi targeting Mr Odinga's convoy and demonstrators in various parts of the city.
"We had another death at the casualty now bringing the number of deaths to two as a result of demonstrations yesterday [Friday, July 7]," said George Rae, CEO of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu.
On Friday, Derrick Adongo, 25, was shot dead during the anti-government protests in Kisumu. Mr Adongo who worked at an electronics shop in the lakeside city is reported to have been caught up in the crossfire as police sought to break up protesters who had barricaded sections of the road at Kondele area.
According to his wife Charity Akinyi, the father of a seven-month-old baby left the house at around 11am before the tragic incident.
“I did not know that I was seeing him for the last time when he left me in the house and promised to be back,” she said.
Ms Akinyi, however, said she was shocked when a neighbour informed her that her husband was fatally shot at around 3pm.
“I rushed to Nyawita estate where I found his body lying in a pool of blood,” she said.
She noted that the deceased was shot on the right side of the abdomen.
The violent confrontation between the police and the protestors saw the body left lying on the ground up to around 7pm when it was taken to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) morgue.
South West Kisumu Ward MCA Jennipher Obonyo has petitioned the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) to get to the root cause of the matter and take action against the officer responsible for the crime.
“It was unfair for the police to use a live bullet on an unarmed person who was not involved in the protest,” she said.
The distraught mother, Rose Adongo, said the loss of her son has dealt her a blow after the loss of her husband.
“As a widow I have nothing and I am appealing to the government to help me take care of my son’s funeral arrangements and assist his young family,” she said.
Kisumu County Commander Alphonse Kimathi, however, said the police are yet to establish the cause of the death.
Kisii protests
In the neighbouring Kisii County, Mbaka Boniface Ongori suffered limb fractures after being caught in the confrontation between protesters and the police.
The small-scale trader who owns a greengrocery at Kisii Municipal Market was in his stall when he saw people running toward his business.
Fearing that the protesters might make away with some of his vegetables, he hurriedly closed down his stall.
Suddenly, the police officers who were chasing the demonstrators descended on him with kicks and blows before he fell unconscious.
“I pleaded with the police to allow me to close my kiosk and salvage my goods from the demonstrators but they could hear none of that,” he said from his hospital bed at Hema Hospital.
According to Dr Cosmas Otondi, one of the four patients they received was in critical condition due to excessive blood loss.
Following the alleged excessive use of force by police, Governor Simba Arati in a statement condemned the attacks and termed them brutal.
When contacted to inquire the number of those who sustained gunshots during the Saba Saba protest, the county police Commander Charles Kases said they had not established how many people were injured but reports indicate that the casualties would be more.
Police brutality
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights on Saturday called for "a thorough investigation into all reported incidents of police brutality", adding to the chorus of condemnation from rights groups including Amnesty International against "arbitrary arrests".
"The acts of police brutality, including the use of excessive force resulting in injuries and the arrest and detention of peaceful demonstrators, are clear violations of... constitutional provisions," the commission said in a statement.
Mr Odinga's spokesman Dennis Onyango on Saturday said Azimio plans to hold "at least one (protest) every week" against the policies of President Ruto's government, with the next one expected on Wednesday.
10 million signatures
Mr Odinga on Friday said he intended to collect 10 million signatures in a bid to remove his arch-rival from office.
The 78-year-old lost the August 2022 election to Dr Ruto and has repeatedly denounced the poll as "stolen".
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua dismissed Odinga's petition campaign, saying: "There is no provision in our constitution giving a leeway to remove a sitting president through signatures."
"The provision is that you vie in an election and win", he said Saturday.
Last week, Ruto signed into law a finance bill expected to generate more than $2.1 billion for the government's depleted coffers and help repair the heavily-indebted economy.
The Finance Act provides for new taxes or increases on basic goods such as fuel and food and mobile money transfers, as well as a controversial levy on all tax-payers to fund a housing scheme.
The government says the taxes will help create jobs and reduce public borrowing.
The Nairobi high court last month suspended implementation of the legislation after a senator filed a case challenging its constitutional legality.
But Kenya's energy regulator nevertheless announced a hike in pump prices after the doubling of VAT to 16 percent as stipulated in the law.
- Additional reporting by AFP
