Amnesty International has called on the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) to submit a comprehensive report detailing their deployment during the June 2024 protests.
The lobby group, led by its Chief Executive Officer, Irũngũ Houghton, while addressing the press on Tuesday, April 29, also urged the military to outline the engagement protocols and interventions during last year's demonstrations.
While announcing the release of its 2024/2025 Human Rights Report, Irũngũ said that the comprehensive report was essential to restore public trust in the country's security institutions.
During the presser, the human rights activist also urged the KDF and the police service to publicly outline the actions taken against security officers linked to the alleged murder of Kenyans during the Gen Z protests.
He also told the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to urgently release a statement on the status and progress of prosecutions related to the June 25 protests.
"The Kenyan public deserves demonstrable evidence that those who have committed serious crimes will be held accountable," said Houghton.
According to him, 2024 saw repeated attempts to infringe upon freedoms and human rights against the Constitution. These included the right to protest, freedom of expression and protection from violence.
In his statement, the Amnesty International CEO also revealed that at least 65 individuals were killed, 89 forcibly disappeared, and thousands arbitrarily arrested during June last year's protests.
"The government's response extended beyond physical spaces to the targeting of online dissent through enforced disappearances, arrests, account suspensions, threats and physical violence," commented Irũngũ.
"These actions created a climate of fear for those expressing public criticism and dissent," the human rights watch group stated," he reiterated.
Further, Irungu similarly acknowledged BBC Africa's "Blood Parliament" documentary, released yesterday. He noted that the investigative piece displayed the unnecessary and excessive force used against protesters on June 25 last year.
He also took a swipe at President William Ruto's administration for allegedly failing to deal with the surging cases of femicide across the country, particularly last year.
The human rights activist disclosed that in 2024 alone, 170 women, nearly double those killed in 2023 and five times those killed in 2016, were murdered.
"We call on the Taskforce on Gender-Based Violence to recommend and the Gender, Arts, and Heritage Ministry to accelerate a comprehensive set of state interventions to prevent and prosecute such crimes," he said.
