Protesters have dropped empty coffins along Moi Avenue near Jevanjee Gardens in Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) on Tuesday, July 2, 2024.
More than four coffins were strategically placed on both lanes of the road by protesters armed with Kenyan flags waving and showing signs of peace to the police.
One of the coffins was opened by the protesters before the law enforcement officers fired several rounds of teargas to disperse the group of youth who had gathered around them.
Activist Boniface Mwangi shared a photo of coffins which were paraded in the central business district and captioned it, ‘Stop Killing Us!’
According to reports, the protesters dropped the coffins to raise the alarm over the shooting of protesters, use of force and abductions of anti-Finance Bill 2024 protesters.
However, a contingent of police officers reacted swiftly and took away the coffins which were left along Moi Avenue near Jevanjee Gardens. The coffins were loaded into a waiting lorry parked on the other side of the road.
A group of youth who had lined up behind the coffins also escaped to avoid police arrest.
Police take away coffins put on the street by demonstrators in Nairobi town.#K24Siasa pic.twitter.com/DjDXSibB32
— K24 TV (@K24Tv) July 2, 2024
Tuesday protests
On Tuesday, July 2, 2024, pockets of youths gathered in downtown Nairobi as police tightened security ahead of the anti-government protests.
Several streets including Moi Avenue, Tom Mboya, Lithuli Avenue and Kenneth Matiba Avenue recorded reduced activity as shops remained closed.
However, protesters had vowed to sit on various roads to demonstrate the killings by law enforcement officers.
According to data from the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, a total of 39 people have been killed in anti-government demonstrations and 361 others were injured from the protests which commenced on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, to Monday, July 1, 2024.
From their data, Nairobi recorded the highest number of deaths standing at 17 as of Monday, July 1, 2024.
“The dead are from Nairobi (17), Nakuru (3), Laikipia (1), Narok (1), Kajiado (3), Uasin Gishu (4), Kakamega (1), Kisumu (2), Kisii (1), Mombasa (3), Siaya (1), Kiambu (1) and Nandi (1),” the KNCHR report read in part.
The commission reported 32 cases of abductions and enforced disappearances were 627 instances of arrests of protestors were also recorded since the demos started.
“The Commission continues to condemn in the strongest terms possible the unwarranted violence and force that was inflicted on protesters, medical personnel, lawyers, journalists, and on safe spaces such as churches, medical emergency centres and ambulances. We maintain that the force used against the protestors was excessive and disproportionate,” their report stated.
