Three people shot dead during Tuesday's protests

By Peter Ochieng

The number of people who have died since the start of anti-government protests in mid-June, 2024 has increased to 53 after three more people were reportedly shot dead on Tuesday.

One of the victims was shot dead in Kitengela, Kajiado County, with the area witnessing deadly confrontations between police and members of the public.

However, reports from various parts of the country indicate that the number of people shot dead may be more.

At the height of the Tuesday protests which covered most parts of the country, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) released a statement indicating that 50 people had died as a result of the demonstrations, most of them felled by the police bullet.

The commission also recorded 82 more injuries, taking the number to 574.

There were 77 more arrests, pushing the tally of those arrested to 1,201 since the protests.

One of the injured is Mediamax journalist Catherine Kariuki, attatched to Kameme TV.

She was shot three times in her thigh by police in Nakuru. The Media Council of Kenya (MCK) in a statement issued on Tuesday condemned the incident, terming it shameful.

"The shooting of Catherine Wanjeri Kariuki, a journalist attached to Kameme TV, while in the company of other journalists and the police is shameful and terrifying," said MCK Chief Executive Officer (CEO) David Omwoyo.

The journalist was reportedly shot while taking cover outside a bank in Nakuru City.

Omwoyo urged the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to expedite investigations and charge the officers involved.

Police allegedly shot at the female scribe yet she was putting on a jacket clearly marked press.