Amnesty International on Monday revealed that Denzel Omondi, a protestor who went missing at the onset of the anti-Finance Bill protests has been found dead.
Speaking during a talk show on Citizen TV, the Amnesty International Kenya Executive Director, Irungu Houghton revealed that the protestor was found dead in a quarry on a date that was not immediately revealed after being reported missing for a week.
According to Houghton, Denzel’s family confirmed the death to Amnesty International after efforts to locate him proved futile.
The family reported that Denzel was suspected to have been abducted under mysterious circumstances on June 26 and information about his whereabouts had not been forthcoming.
Unverified social media reports reveal that Denzel was among the protestors who marched to Parliament during the Occupy Parliament protests held on June 25.
The same reports indicate that Denzel’s body was found in a quarry in Kabete.
Houghton further revealed that Denzel was a Quantity Survey student at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).
The young man’s death has been linked to his involvement in the protests with his death adding on to a growing list of Kenyan protestors who lost their lives during the demonstrations.
According to Amnesty International, the death toll from the protests stands at 41, however, the government has maintained that only 25 people lost their lives.
However, Houghton accused the National Police Service of failing to cooperate with the Kenya National Human Rights Commission in facilitating investigations into the cases of suspected police brutality.
Houghton further added that the police had declined to surrender their firearms for ballistic analysis.
Additionally, Amnesty International has continued calling on the independent Policing Authority (IPOA) to identify the police officers suspected of using excessive force with a view to bring them to book.
