Kenya:KHRC Accuses Ruto Regime of Using Vigilante Gangs to Crush Protests Over Police Brutality

By Samuel Ouma

The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) has accused President William Ruto’s government of orchestrating a brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters by deploying state-sponsored vigilante groups, a tactic the rights body says is aimed at silencing dissent and shielding senior police officials from accountability.

KHRC said the regime had reverted to "informal repression" — a covert and violent method historically used by past governments to crush opposition. The commission linked the deployment of goons to attacks on demonstrators demanding justice for Albert Ojwang’, a 31-year-old schoolteacher who died in police custody under suspicious circumstances.

“This regime has weaponized vigilantes to maim and intimidate citizens who are simply demanding truth and accountability. This mirrors the darkest chapters of Kenya’s history — from Moi’s crackdown on pro-democracy voices to the Mungiki-linked violence of the 2007-08 post-election crisis under Kibaki,” said the commission.

On Tuesday, June 17, chaos engulfed the streets of Nairobi after masked men, allegedly working with the police, descended on protesters with crude weapons, while officers either stood by or offered them cover. Video footage widely circulated online shows police providing escorts to the attackers.

Among the injured is a mask vendor who was shot at close range by police. According to KHRC and eyewitness accounts, the officer fired without provocation. The National Police Service has since confirmed the officer’s arrest but declined to reveal further details.

Dozens of protesters sustained injuries in the joint police-vigilante assault. David Njoroge, 27, is hospitalized with gunshot wounds to his back, torso, and head. Another protester, Philip Okech, 23, was also shot. In contrast, others — including Collins Otieno and Stephen Omondi — were attacked by gangs wielding stones and riding motorcycles.

In Mombasa, four human rights activists — Francis Auma, Walid Said, Batuli Swaleh, and Mugambi Gichunge — were arrested and detained at Central Police Station for demanding the resignation and prosecution of Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat, Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss Mohamed Amin, and Inspector General Douglas Kanja. The KHRC condemned the arrests as unlawful and demanded the immediate release of the four.

Ojwang’s death, which sparked the nationwide protests, occurred on June 7 after he was arrested following a complaint by DIG Lagat. While police initially claimed he died from self-inflicted injuries, an autopsy contradicted this narrative, showing signs consistent with fatal assault.

KHRC is now calling for sweeping accountability: the arrest and prosecution of the officer who shot the vendor, the resignation and trial of IG Kanja and DCI boss Amin under the doctrine of command responsibility, and the prosecution of political actors who financed and directed the violence.