Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni became emotional as he condemned the government for the recent deaths of anti-government protesters.
In an interview on YouTube, as reported by *The Star*, Kioni expressed deep sorrow over the killing of innocent protesters, stating, “What hurts me, and it is difficult to say… when we saw our young people in the streets asking for a right to be educated, and police came out and started shooting them,” Kioni said, breaking down in tears.
He went on to express concern for the many families still searching for their missing children, who are too frightened to speak out. “How many other families cannot account for their children, and they are now very scared of even speaking out because there is a killer squad in this country,” he lamented.
On Thursday, the government acknowledged the fatalities and disappearances connected to the anti-government protests that have rocked the country in recent months. Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki, while speaking to the National Assembly Committee, confirmed that 42 people had been killed, 132 were missing, and 1,208 others were arrested during the demonstrations.
However, human rights organisations, in a recent report, claim that the death toll stands at 61. The report also revealed that 67 cases of enforced disappearances have been filed this year, with 40 resolved and 27 still unresolved.
Protests initially erupted in June and July over tax increases in the Finance Bill 2024, leading to widespread demonstrations in major cities like Nairobi, Kisumu, and Mombasa. Citizens demanded economic reforms, and the protests later evolved into calls for President William Ruto’s resignation.
During the interview, Kioni further alleged the existence of a “killer squad” operating in the country. “The killer squad is not under the police command. I bet that is why Koome resigned because there were people not under his command, and he was being held responsible for the mess,” he claimed.
Former police boss Japhet Koome resigned on July 12, following several weeks of violent protests.
