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Death toll discrepancies fuel confusion in anti-Finance Bill protests

Police officers on Uhuru Highway during the anti-Finance Bill protests on June 20, 2024. (Photo: Justine Ondieki)

By Maureen Kinyanjui | Thursday, June 27, 2024

President William Ruto during his address to the nation on Wednesday evening, announced that six people lost their lives during the anti-Finance Bill 2024 protests.

On Tuesday, Kenya was rocked by protests against the Finance Bill 2024, but one thing became clear in the aftermath: no one could agree on the death toll.

Conflicting reports flooded in from various authorities, leaving the nation in a state of confusion and grief.

Different sources provided vastly different numbers.

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President William Ruto during his address to the nation on Wednesday evening, announced that six people lost their lives during the anti-Finance Bill 2024 protests.

Addressing the press outside the Statehouse on Wednesday, the President said that 214 people had been injured, with 95 already treated and released from different hospitals.

"One person is in ICU and 14 others are still hospitalized," Ruto added.

On the other hand, The Police Reforms Working Group (PRWG) reported that at least 53 people had died in Nairobi alone.

They detailed that 23 of these deaths occurred during the day and another 30 at night in the Githurai area.

The PRWG also noted that 53 people were arrested and over 17 were abducted in Nairobi.

"In Githurai alone, police shot and killed at least 30 innocent people at night. At least 100 more are nursing gunshot wounds," the PRWG stated.

The Nairobi City County Government also provided another set of numbers.

County Executive, Suzanne Silantoi on Wednesday confirmed a total of 12 bodies, six at the City Mortuary and six at Mama Lucy Hospital Mortuary.

These were individuals who had been shot during the protests.

In addition, the County Health Executive confirmed that 51 people were treated at county hospitals and discharged, while 10 were still admitted, responding well to treatment.

"The 12 were received yesterday by the respective mortuary attendants in the respective facilities. Six at Mama Lucy and six at City Mortuary while another one was taken in the morning," Silantoi said.

"Some who were received had soft tissue injuries and were treated and released. However, the ten (10), three (3) at Mbagathi and seven (7) at Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital, are responding positively to treatment," she added.

Despite the conflicting reports, many families were left in despair, searching for their missing loved ones.

At the City Mortuary in Nairobi, numerous families are still streaming in, hoping to find their children who had gone missing amid the chaos.