Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said on Friday, November 15, 2024, that more police officers were injured during the mid-year protests occasioned by the Finance Bill 2024.

In an address to members of the press, Mwaura indicated that the government’s official figures state that 148 more police officers sustained injuries during the June and July 2024 protests.

“The National Police Service has reported that during the June/July 2024 protests, 495 police officers and 347 civilians were injured, with another 42 Kenyans unfortunately losing their lives,” Mwaura said.

This comes after human rights groups revealed that more than 60 people were killed during the protests and hundreds of others sustained injuries arising from confrontation with police officers.

Kindiki’s statement

In July 2024, then-Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki stated that only 43 police officers had been injured in the protests.

“The people who have died out of these protests are 25, and nearly 400 people were injured, including 43 police officers. I have heard of other figures, including the ones you are quoting, but I also had heard about a massacre in Githurai from other sources, which turned out not to be true, so I don’t want to cast aspersions at anybody, but we have lost 25 people,” Kindiki said on July 4, 2024.

However, while appearing before the National Assembly’s Committee on Administration and Internal Security in September, Kindiki noted that 42 Kenyans had lost their lives.

“There were 42 cases of people who lost their lives during the Gen Z demonstrations. A total of 1,208 people were arrested countrywide during the Gen Z demonstrations, and most of the cases are still pending before court for various charges,” Kindiki said.

Kindiki defends police

Additionally, Kindiki stated that not all protesters who were shot were killed by police bullets.

“The fact that somebody has been shot is not conclusive evidence that they have been shot by a police officer. Maybe there is a presumption that that bullet belongs to a police officer,” he said.

He defended the actions of police officers, who were greatly criticised by human rights groups for using excess and disproportionate force on otherwise peaceful protesters.

“It is not correct to argue that the police officers cannot use force. If we never applied force on that fateful day, we would have been talking about a different Kenya,” Kindiki told the committee.

Police officers were blamed for most of the casualties during the protests, with Amnesty International stating that most of their responses were reactive and uncoordinated.

“There was a clear lack of communication and guidance among officers,” the report added. Footage shows them advancing and retreating in confusion, with some firing weapons seemingly without orders,” the rights group said on September 25, 2024.