One person was shot dead and two others injured on Tuesday after protests over the disappearance of two activists turned violent in Nairobi's Mathare informal settlement, once again placing the spotlight on the conduct of security agencies during demonstrations.
Running battles erupted between residents and police as protesters demanded the release of activists Maxwell Kiarie and Abdulaziz Molu, who rights groups claim were abducted under unclear circumstances over the past two weeks.
The anti-riot police fired tear gas and live bullets to disperse crowds that had lit bonfires and barricaded roads in parts of Mathare. Our reporters at the scene reported seeing one person lying motionless after sustaining gunshot injuries, while two others were wounded during the confrontation.
The demonstrations had been organised by activists and community groups, who said they intended to hold a peaceful procession to demand answers over the whereabouts of the two missing men.
"The action underscores growing concern over enforced disappearances. It also shows the police are ready to kill to maintain the status quo," said Wanjira Wanjiru of the Mathare Social Justice Centre.
The unrest comes less than a week after Nairobi witnessed an unprecedented security operation on June 25, when authorities sealed off major roads leading to the city centre and deployed hundreds of officers ahead of demonstrations commemorating victims of last year's anti-government protests.
Although the anniversary protests passed without widespread unrest due to the heavy police deployment, several activists were arrested while others reportedly disappeared for days, fuelling fresh concerns among human rights organisations and civil society groups.
The handling of demonstrations has increasingly drawn criticism since the anti-tax protests of June and July 2024, when rights organisations accused police of using excessive force against largely peaceful protesters. Several demonstrators were killed during the protests, which culminated in the storming of Parliament on June 25, 2024.
Subsequent protests over governance and police accountability have also been marked by allegations of arbitrary arrests, disappearances and the use of live ammunition. Human rights groups have repeatedly accused security agencies of suppressing dissent, allegations the government has consistently denied.
"The pattern we are seeing is deeply worrying. Every protest is met with heavy-handed policing instead of engagement, and families continue to search for missing loved ones," Ms Wanjiru said.
The latest violence in Mathare is likely to intensify scrutiny over allegations of enforced disappearances and the use of force by security agencies, issues that remain at the centre of Kenya's political and human rights debate.
Police had not issued an official statement on the shooting by Tuesday evening.
