Pain, grief and agony as families mourn fallen kin

Edith Wanjiku (centre), mother of 19 year-old Ibrahim Kamau, who was shot dead during Tuesday's anti-tax protests. [Robert Tomno, Standard] Pain, grief and agony engulfed the air as family members, relatives and friends gathered in various city hospitals to view the bodies of those shot during the Tuesday protests. The protests resulted in at least 23 deaths nationwide, with Nairobi accounting for 18, and Mombasa, Isiolo, and Kakamega each recording one death. This is according to data released by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR). Struggling to come to terms with their loss, mourners expressed their displeasure with the circumstances that led to the death of their kin. According to those who spoke to The Standard, the police used excessive force, including live bullets, against peaceful demonstrators resulting in the loss of lives. Caroline Mutisya, the mother of Erickson Mutisya, a 25-year-old butcher shot in the chest behind Parliament, termed the death of her son a blow to her family. Overcome with emotions, she recounted the last moments with her son before leaving for upcountry, unaware that he would participate in the protests. "I bid them bye as I left for Machakos in the morning. I left him getting ready for work. I called him in the afternoon and someone else answered, telling me my son had been shot and was no more," said Caroline. Mourning her son as hardworking, obedient and polite, she questioned why the police opened fire on him when he was unarmed. Huge gap James Mutisya, Erickson's brother, called for justice and demanded the police officer responsible be held accountable. "The demonstrations were peaceful. The death of my brother has left a huge gap in our family. I urge the president to listen to the youth and act," said James. Edith Wanjiku, a mother of Ibrahim Kamau, a 19-year-old who was shot during the protests, said her son was killed for taking part in peaceful protests. "The police took the life of my son who was demonstrating peacefully, a right enshrined in the Constitution. Why would they do this to innocent Kenyans?" posed Wanjiku. She said that the late Ibrahim was a boda boda rider who had completed high school education and was awaiting to join college. The KNCHR termed the deaths and injuries of the protestors as unfortunate. Roseline Odede, chairperson of KNCHR, said police response was excessively harsh. "We witnessed and saw the use of live bullets, we saw the use of rubber bullets, beating and battering of citizens and individuals, and the indiscriminate use of tear gas. You could probably say the police were tear gas-happy because they would just drive into a space and find peaceful citizens and drop tear gas at them," said Odede. Odede called out the police for the attack meted to the journalists covering the protests and medical personnel offering emergency services to the injured protestors. "It almost looks like in Kenya today, it is not possible to hold a peaceful protest. If you try and protest, you will always be tear gassed, you will always be met with force. We are asking authorities to grant Kenyans complete and unfettered access to the Article 37 right to protest." Odede reminded the MPs that sovereign power in Kenya belongs to the people of Kenya, and that the power they enjoy is a power that the citizens donate to them. She asked parliamentarians to respect the will of the people as they carry out their parliamentary duties. "There is a very deep rooted anger inside the citizens of Kenya. And we would like the president to engage Kenyans and engage the citizens to find out the cause and address that cause so that this anger can be talked about, and it can come out," she said. "The anger is not within a homogeneous group of people. It's an anger that transcends all demographic groups. It transcends age, sex, tribe, social economic status," she added. Innocent Kenyans Meanwhile, Azimio leaders who visited the morgue to view the bodies of those who died during the protests said the government had killed innocent Kenyans for peacefully exercising their constitutional right. "As we condole with the families that lost their loved ones, we want to ask the government to stop killing unarmed kids," said Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka. Jeremiah Kioni, the Jubilee party secretary-general, condemned the police use of excessive force, calling the president to resign. "The Gen Z are now beyond the Finance Bill, they are calling for the resignation of the president. Yesterday was a clear demonstration that the country has no confidence in him," said Kioni.

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