The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has refuted President William Ruto’s claims that the state-funded rights watchdog provided misleading information about a reported ‘massacre’ in Nairobi’s Githurai area.
Following day-long anti-Finance Bill protests on Tuesday, June 25, unconfirmed reports surfaced alleging that police and military forces were killing people in the residential area late at night.
During a media roundtable at State House Nairobi on Sunday, Ruto was asked about the number of people the police had killed since the protests began. He maintained that the number was 19, while rights groups, including KNCHR, have reported a much higher figure. He accused the commission of falsely reporting that 20 people were killed in the Githurai ‘massacre.’
According to Ruto, in KNCHR’s press statement on June 26, following reports of the killings in Githurai, the human rights body did not provide any figures on the alleged incident. Instead, it stated that it was investigating the allegations.
KNCHR chairperson Roseline Odede later dismissed Ruto’s claims, asserting that the commission had not issued any statement on Githurai.
“We the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights have not issued any statement on Githurai. We are still in the process of confirming the happenings in Githurai, Rongai, Migori, Nakuru, and other parts of the country,” Odede said.
“From data in our possession, we had reports of 22 deaths arising from the protests, as of Wednesday when we made our last statement, and that is what we reported.”
Odede added that the commission has confirmed 24 deaths since the protests began on June 18.