Clashes injure 11 as Kenyans protest death of blogger in police custody

Demonstrations against constabulary unit erupt aft 31-year-old Albert Ojwang dies successful custody.

Kenyan constabulary person changeable an evident bystander astatine adjacent scope during the latest protests implicit the sidesplitting of a blogger successful constabulary custody this month, triggering adjacent much nationalist fury and demands for accountability.

According to witnesser accounts, a constabulary serviceman who had concealed his look changeable the unarmed antheral successful the caput connected Tuesday with what appeared to beryllium a shotgun.

The antheral was believed to beryllium a vendor caught up successful a confrontation with 2 officers portion lasting connected a Nairobi sidewalk. He was being treated astatine Kenya’s largest referral authorities hospital, which said done a spokesperson that his injuries included gunshot wounds.

Police successful a connection expressed interest and said the serviceman had been arrested.

At slightest 10 different radical were injured successful the objection arsenic hundreds of men connected motorbikes, equipped with whips and clubs, attacked protesters successful downtown Nairobi.

The swarm of men connected motorbikes could beryllium heard shouting, “No protest!” successful footage shared by section broadcaster NTV.

Amnesty International’s Kenya section condemned the attack, penning connected X that the “use of militia volition escalate confrontation, lawlessness and chaos”.

The incidental came much than a week aft the death of Albert Ojwang, a 31-year-old teacher and blogger. He died conscionable 2 days aft being arrested successful the municipality of Homa Bay successful occidental Kenya for allegedly criticising Eliud Lagat, the country’s lawman constabulary chief.

A Kenyan constabulary serviceman has been arrested successful transportation with Ojwang’s death.

The protests bespeak a wider interest astir constabulary violence. Rights groups said much than 60 radical were killed by information forces past twelvemonth during demonstrations successful June and July against a measure that would person accrued taxes.

‘They cornered america and bushed america with whips’

Speaking astir the clashes connected Tuesday, which besides saw constabulary occurrence teardrop state astatine protesters, Ndungi Githuku of the civilian rights radical Kongamano La Mapinduzi said Kenya was turning into “a lawless country”.

“We spot hundreds of paid goons with whips and weapons, crude weapons, coming to brutalise our people,” helium said.

One of the demonstrators, Hanifa Adan, who was a starring dependable successful past year’s Gen Z-led protests, told the AFP quality bureau that the men connected motorbikes had “overwhelmed” her and others.

“They cornered america and bushed america with whips, and the constabulary were conscionable watching them bash it,” she said.

Demonstrations were besides held connected Tuesday successful Kenya’s 2nd largest city, Mombasa, with the assemblage holding placards saying, “Stop sidesplitting us.”

Protesters clasp a Kenyan emblem arsenic they instrumentality screen from teardrop state and rubber bullets aft clashes erupt betwixt demonstrators and constabulary connected June 12, 2025 [Luis Tato/AFP]

Public choler grew aft an autopsy revealed that Ojwang had not fatally injured himself by banging his caput against a compartment wall, arsenic the Kenyan constabulary had primitively claimed.

The government’s pathologist recovered that his injuries, which included blunt unit trauma, were “unlikely to beryllium self-inflicted”.

President William Ruto admitted connected Friday that Ojwang had died “at the hands of the police”, calling his decease “heartbreaking and unacceptable”.

The country’s person promised to “protect citizens from rogue constabulary officers”.

In the past 4 months, much than 20 radical person died successful constabulary custody successful Kenya, according to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority.

As portion of the probe into Ojwang’s death, 2 elder constabulary officers and a civilian person truthful acold been arrested.

Lagat, the lawman constabulary chief, announced connected Monday that helium was temporarily stepping down from his role.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies