The families of the victims who lost their lives during the June 25, 2024, protests have filed a petition to the National Assembly as they continue to push for justice following the events that left several youths dead.
Shared by activist Boniface Mwangi, the petition casts a spotlight on the alarming rise in alleged extrajudicial killings, urging a swift and decisive response from both the National Assembly and Senate.
The petition, which highlights data from the 2024 Missing Voices Report, documents at least 159 cases of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.
According to the report, most of these incidents occurred between June and August 2024, during mass protests against the 2024 Finance Bill.
In the petition, the families asked Parliament to conduct a comprehensive investigation into all the extrajudicial killings and abductions documented in the report.
They are also calling for the establishment of a parliamentary committee to investigate the involvement of security agencies and other individuals in these killings, to provide compensation to affected families, and to speed up the prosecution of pending cases.
The petition also calls for immediate reforms in the security sector, implementation of the TJRC recommendations, and establishment of an independent commission to monitor and report on security forces' compliance with human rights standards in their operations were also made.
The families brought to the Parliament's attention that despite President William Ruto's promise that extrajudicial killings would come to an end, the country is still witnessing these deaths, citing the case of Albert Ojwang.
They expressed frustrations that efforts to have their grievances met have continued to fall on deaf ears, now calling on the attention of the National Assembly.
"We have made the best efforts to have these matters addressed by the relevant authorities, including the NPS, IPOA, and NCHR through statements, calls to action, cases filed in court, and engagement with various government ministries, all of which have failed to give a satisfactory response," the families revealed.
The petition pointed to stresses that young Kenyans, particularly peaceful protesters, content creators, and online influencers, were being abducted, tortured, and in some cases executed, in what the petitioners termed as a campaign to silence dissent.
Meanwhile, while these families, activists, and relevant stakeholders continue to demand justice, more Kenyans lost their lives during the commemorative protests on Wednesday, June 25.
