Police shooting kills 2 opposition protesters in Kenya

Two opposition protesters were killed by police in Kenya while throwing rocks at a police station, the officers used tear gas on rallies in the capital and elsewhere demanding reforms in advance of a looming presidential vote rerun.

A statement by national police spokesman George Kinoti said a crowd of about 2,000 people threw rocks at the police station and robbed shops, leading to the shooting, which is being investigated.

Witnesses told AFP news agency two people were shot dead. “One person had his head shattered by a bullet while the other was hit on the chest,” said witness Sam Oguma.

In Nairobi, police fired tear gas as opposition supporters tried to march to city centre. In Kisumu city, local television showed running battles with stone-throwing youth. Police also used tear gas in Mombasa.

The government on Thursday banned the protests, citing “imminent danger of breach of peace.” Human rights groups protested, with some pointing out that police have killed at least 37 people in demonstrations since the results of the August election were announced.

Opposition coalition Chief Executive Officer Norman Magaya said police have allowed government supporters into the banned protest areas and that they were attacking opposition supporters.

Author

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *