INCLO Condemns Shooting of Unharmed Protesters in Kenya

By Samuel Ouma

The International Network of Civil Liberties Organizations (INCLO) has denounced the use of live fire against protestors and bystanders in Kenya's latest nationwide wave of protests over rising living costs and contentious tax increases.

In a statement, the organization said that 23 protesters were killed and several injured by the police during demonstrations.

According to INCLO, all international and regional human rights guidelines prohibit using guns in protest situations.

"General Comment 37 on the right of peaceful assembly (Article 21) by the UN Human Rights Committee stipulates that "Firearms are not an appropriate tool for the policing of assemblies. They must never be used simply to disperse an assembly," read the statement in part.

"The regional guidelines emitted by the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights concur: "Firearms are not an appropriate tactical tool for the policing of assemblies. Firearms must never be used to disperse an assembly. The indiscriminate discharge of firearms into a crowd violates the right to life."

Therefore, INCLO has demanded that all instances of institutional violence cease immediately and that practical steps be taken to prevent more victims.

It has also ordered the Kenyan government to immediately discontinue the use of live fire and the disproportionate deployment of crowd-control weapons such as tear gas, batons, and water cannons by security officers.

The organization also urged William Ruto's administration to form an independent body to conduct timely and transparent investigations into the fatalities and unlawful use of force and prosecute those involved.

It further asked the government to respect the rights to free expression, peaceful assembly, and association provided by Kenyan and international human rights laws.

INCLO's concerns were also echoed by the Kenyan Human Rights Commission and the UN Human Rights Office.