Kenyan police fired tear gas at protesters in Nairobi on Tuesday (June 17), as demonstrations erupted following the death of a blogger in police custody, reigniting concerns over alleged extrajudicial killings by security forces.
Clashes broke out in downtown Nairobi, with one man seen being beaten by demonstrators. He was struck multiple times with sticks and kicked in the head. Reuters could not independently verify his affiliation.
In a separate incident, Reuters reported that one man was shot dead by police in another part of the city during the same protest. A Reuters journalist observed the man’s body on the ground with a bleeding head wound. The circumstances of his death and his identity were not immediately clear.
Kenya’s police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga told Reuters he was unaware of the casualty.
The protests were sparked by the death of Albert Ojwang, a 31-year-old teacher and blogger, who died two days after his arrest earlier this month. Police initially claimed he had committed suicide, but an independent autopsy later indicated assault as the cause of death, prompting an apology from Kenya’s police chief.
President William Ruto described Ojwang’s death “at the hands of the police” as “heartbreaking and unacceptable.”
The demonstrations reflect broader public concerns that Ojwang’s death signals a lack of progress one year after more than 60 people were killed during protests initially triggered by proposed tax increases.
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