Ruto challenged the families of those who lost their lives during the protests to present the true picture of their situation, in person.
President William Ruto has maintained that there were no confirmed reports of a massacre in Githurai on Tuesday, June 25 following the anti-Finance Bill protests.
Speaking during a live X (Twitter) spaces conversation dubbed #EngageThePresident on Friday, July 5, the Head of State refuted claims that over 200 people were killed since the protests began on Tuesday, June 18.
While asserting that the government’s figures were the accurate ones, Ruto challenged the families of those who lost their lives during the protests to present the true picture of their situation, in person.
“Can the family members of these 200 people come forward and say they lost loved ones? 200 people who went to protest and did not come back?” he appealed.
Screengrab of police officers in Githurai on June 25, 2024. /BBC
Ruto insisted, “I will never say anything that is not factual about people losing lives”, going further to call upon families to bring the names of those allegedly killed in the Githurai massacre to State House Nairobi tomorrow, Saturday, July 6.
During a roundtable interview with mainstream media journalists at State House on Sunday, June 30, Ruto referenced an investigation done by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which found no evidence of mass killings in Githurai.
“BBC on that account went to investigate in Githurai, and of course, you know, you have read. BBC has said there was no massacre in Githurai. There was 1 person who was shot by the police,” he revealed.
The report published over the weekend came from fact-finding investigations by the BBC following reports of the massacre which saw conflicting reports of people killed surfacing all over the internet and news platforms.
Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kithiure Kindiki on his part, who spoke during a Citizen TV interview on Thursday, July 4, reported that 25 people died during the protests, with nearly 400 injured, including 43 police officers.
However, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) put the number of deaths at 43 and injuries at over 600, leading to conflicting figures reported by various organizations of repute.
“I’ve heard other figures, including those quoted, but a supposed massacre in Githurai was proven false. We lost 25 people, many from gunshot wounds, others from blunt objects and beatings. We will account for every death,” Kindiki stated.
Regarding the abductions, popular Twitter influencer, Osama Otero, who hosted the President on the X space, shared his experience of abductions during the protests, narrating how he was taken from his home to an unknown location and interrogated in what he termed as a ‘safe house’.Â
In response, Ruto stated, “I regret your situation”, adding “After this engagement, I would like, in a secretive way, to send me the details of what happened, I will take action because you don’t deserve what you went through.”
Human rights groups have placed the number of abductions during the last three weeks at over 30 people including Gabriel Oguda and Shad Khalif.
Collage of Shad Khalif being abducted by unknown individuals on June 23, 2024. /VIRAL TEA KE