Deadly protests rocked Kenya on July 7, leaving officials scrambling to count the bodies and explain what went wrong. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights painted a grim picture when they released their numbers on July 8. Their count showed 31 people dead, 107 hurt, and two more missing without a trace. Police had also rounded up 532 protesters across the country during the chaos. Property damage spread everywhere, though nobody could put a price tag on the destruction.
The National Police Service told a very different story about the same day. Police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga said only 11 people died from police actions during the protests. His officers counted 52 wounded cops and 11 injured civilians after the dust settled. The police also arrested 567 people, grabbing even a member of parliament from Manyatta constituency named Gitonga Mukunji. They blamed criminal troublemakers for attacking their officers and stealing from shops.
Raymond Nyeris from the human rights commission called the violence deeply troubling and demanded answers from everyone involved. He asked people to report any wrongdoing through official channels and offered sympathy to grieving families. The police praised their officers for staying professional despite being attacked and promised to investigate every incident. Both sides painted themselves as the good guys, but their wildly different numbers raised serious questions about what really happened during those violent hours.
The National Police Service told a very different story about the same day. Police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga said only 11 people died from police actions during the protests. His officers counted 52 wounded cops and 11 injured civilians after the dust settled. The police also arrested 567 people, grabbing even a member of parliament from Manyatta constituency named Gitonga Mukunji. They blamed criminal troublemakers for attacking their officers and stealing from shops.
Raymond Nyeris from the human rights commission called the violence deeply troubling and demanded answers from everyone involved. He asked people to report any wrongdoing through official channels and offered sympathy to grieving families. The police praised their officers for staying professional despite being attacked and promised to investigate every incident. Both sides painted themselves as the good guys, but their wildly different numbers raised serious questions about what really happened during those violent hours.
