A 21-YEAR-OLD protester died after being hit by a tear gas canister during protests in Kenya this week, a human rights commission official said Saturday, in the second fatality resulting from the youth-led demonstrations.
Led largely by young Kenyans who have livestreamed the demonstrations, the protests against tax hikes have been galvanised by widespread discontent over President William Ruto’s economic policies.
Thursday’s demonstrations in Nairobi were mostly peaceful, but officers fired tear gas and water cannon throughout the day in an attempt to disperse protesters near parliament.
According to a Kenya Human Rights Commission official, 21-year-old Evans Kiratu was “hit by a tear gas canister” during the demonstrations.
“He was rushed to hospital around 6:00 pm (1500 GMT) on Thursday…and died there,” Ernest Cornel, a spokesman at the Kenya Human Rights Commission, told AFP.
“It is tragic that a young person can lose his life simply for agitating against the high cost of living.”
The rallies began in Nairobi on Tuesday before spreading nationwide, with protesters calling for a national strike on June 25.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) watchdog said Friday it had “documented the death” of a 29-year-old man, “allegedly as a result of police shooting”.
Ruto’s administration has defended the proposed levies as necessary for filling its coffers and cutting reliance on external borrowing.
