The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has refuted President William Ruto’s assertions, alleging that the state-funded rights watchdog had disseminated misleading information regarding an alleged ‘massacre’ in Nairobi’s Githurai area.
After a day of protests against the Finance Bill on Tuesday, June 25, unverified reports surfaced suggesting that police and military forces had been involved in lethal actions in the residential area late at night.
During a media briefing at State House, Nairobi on Sunday, Ruto was questioned about the number of fatalities resulting from the protests, which he claimed totaled 19. However, various rights groups, including KNCHR, reported significantly higher figures.
Ruto accused the commission of erroneously stating that 20 individuals had been killed in the Githurai ‘massacre’. Later in the evening, KNCHR chairperson Roseline Odede dismissed Ruto’s allegations, affirming that the commission had not issued any such statement.
“We, at the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, have not released any statement concerning Githurai. We are currently in the process of verifying the events in Githurai, Rongai, Migori, Nakuru, and other parts of the country,” Odede clarified.
“Based on the information available to us, we received reports of 22 fatalities related to the protests as of our last update on Wednesday,” Odede stated.
Additionally, the commission has confirmed a total of 24 deaths since the protests commenced on June 18.
In its press release on June 26 following reports of fatalities in Githurai, KNCHR did not provide specific figures related to the alleged incident, contrary to President Ruto’s assertions.
Instead, the commission announced its intention to investigate the claims.
“The Commission was deeply concerned when police officers reportedly entered residential areas of Githurai and Jinja on the evening of Tuesday, June 25, 2024, and were allegedly involved in indiscriminate firing on civilians. Consequently, we have received unverified reports of numerous residents allegedly killed by stray bullets. We are committed to investigating these events to ensure accountability for these alleged atrocities,” the rights body stated at that time.
