MPs clash over BBC film linking police to 2024 protest killings

Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo (left) and Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie. [File, Standard] Lawmakers on Tuesday clashed over a new BBC documentary that links security officers to the killing of anti-tax protesters outside Parliament in June 2024. The BBC Africa Eye investigation, Blood Parliament, identifies police officers allegedly involved in the fatal shootings of three men during demonstrations against the Finance Bill 2024. The men, all under 40, were among those opposing the Bill's tax proposals, which triggered widespread anger and protests. Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo said the documentary had reopened old wounds and could fuel further unrest among the youth. "It has actually created more anger. We are taking them back to the path they would rather not walk again, but they are walking it. And we don't know at what point somebody else will fuel it again," said Odhiambo. Odhiambo called for a parliamentary select committee to address what she described as the unresolved trauma left by the protests. "We are dealing with people who are angry, people who are depressed," noted Odhiambo, adding, "We think we are moving on, but there are many young people who have not necessarily moved on." Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie criticised the BBC's motives, accusing the broadcaster of pushing a foreign agenda. "Is the BBC speaking as a mouthpiece of the government and the people of Britain, or what is it that the BBC is doing? Could it be an attempt to untwist this country so they can rescind the rider on the training of the British Army Training Unit Kenya?" questioned Kiarie. He questioned whether the documentary was intended to interfere with Kenya's sovereignty, particularly on matters involving trade and defence. The expose, which aired days before the first anniversary of the protest, features footage and testimonies linking the deaths of software engineer David Chege, 39, butcher Ericsson Mutisya, 25, and finance student Eric Shieni, 27, to armed police. The Finance Bill 2024 initially included a 16 per cent tax on bread and a 25 per cent duty on cooking oil, proposals later dropped after public backlash. However, the law still introduced a 16 per cent levy on medical equipment and raised import tax from 2.5 per cent to three per cent. The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) said it has completed 22 of 60 investigations linked to the June 25 protest, with 36 others ongoing and two already before the court. Of the completed cases, eight are under internal review and four in final report writing stages. The government has since banned public screenings of the documentary.

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