The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has confirmed that it is actively investigating 60 deaths reported during the anti-government protests held across the country on 25th June 2024.
In a statement , IPOA indicated that investigations into 22 of the cases have been completed, while 36 are still ongoing. Two cases — those of Rex Masai and Evans Kiratu, who were shot dead in Nairobi — are already before court, with police officers named as the primary suspects.
The Authority detailed that of the 22 completed investigations, eight are under final internal review, four are in the final stages of report writing before submission to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), two were closed internally, four have already been submitted to the ODPP, and three were closed following ODPP directives.
Among the 60 reported deaths, IPOA recorded eight cases in Nyeri, six in Kakamega, six in Kisumu, four in Nakuru, three each in Eldoret and Mombasa, and one in Meru.
In addition to fatalities, IPOA documented 233 injuries sustained during the demonstrations, with 191 currently under investigation. Of the remaining cases, 42 were closed internally, while two were forwarded to the ODPP.
IPOA has raised concerns over the lack of cooperation from some police officers and witnesses, noting that this has delayed progress in several investigations.
The statement comes in the wake of a BBC documentary that exposes police involvement in the shooting of protestors outside Parliament buildings in Nairobi. The film highlights incidents where officers are alleged to have received orders to shoot, and identifies those believed to have pulled the trigger, killing three young men during the protests.
BBC journalists said they reviewed more than 5,000 images to reconstruct the sequence of events and determine the placement of both victims and shooters on the day of the protests.
However, the scheduled screening of the documentary at Unseen Nairobi cinema on Monday evening, which was to include a panel discussion, was blocked by Kenyan authorities. In response, a BBC spokesperson expressed disappointment over the cancellation and encouraged viewers to watch the film on BBC Africa’s YouTube channel.