Saba Saba protests/FILEA coalition of human rights organisations under the Police Reforms Working Group has issued a strong statement condemning police brutality during the recent Saba Saba protests.
The groups are demanding immediate government action following the reported deaths and injuries resulting from the demonstrations.
In their joint statement, the organisations decried what they described as the “excessive and lethal use of force” by police and urged authorities to ensure that all enforcement measures remain lawful, targeted, and humane.
They reminded security agencies of their obligations under the Constitution and the National Police Service Act.
The statement emphasised that police standing orders strictly prohibit the use of live ammunition for crowd control, except in extreme and legally justified circumstances.
The groups expressed particular concern over the “indiscriminate and heavy deployment” of police forces in residential areas.
“We are deeply alarmed by the indiscriminate and heavy deployment of police and use of live ammunition in residential areas, particularly in Kajiado and Kiambu counties,” they said.
They are now calling on the Executive to halt the use of live bullets in residential neighborhoods and urgently reform the policing of public protests.
The coalition also demanded accountability from the National Police Service, insisting it must uphold its constitutional duty to protect life and facilitate peaceful assembly.
Officers involved in unlawful killings and serious injuries must be held accountable, the groups stated.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) was urged to expedite investigations into at least 38 documented deaths and more than 500 injuries linked to the protests.
The groups called for the preservation of evidence and public release of findings to ensure transparency.
"The judiciary safeguards the process and prevents prolonged or arbitrary detention of protesters," the statement reads in part.
Parliament was asked to strengthen oversight of security agencies and protect civil liberties, while the judiciary was urged to safeguard due process and prevent unlawful or prolonged detention of protesters.
More than 20 national and grassroots organizations signed the statement, including the Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU), Katiba Institute, Amnesty International Kenya, Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), HAKI Africa, FIDA-Kenya, Defenders Coalition, Social Justice Centres Working Group, and Transparency International Kenya.
While acknowledging the presence of criminal elements in some demonstrations, the coalition stressed that the state is responsible for distinguishing between peaceful protesters and offenders.
They reiterated that police must facilitate peaceful protests and limit the use of force to exceptional, lawful, and proportionate situations.
The coalition also condemned arbitrary arrests and pre-trial detentions, warning that profiling and mass arrests based on political affiliations or ethnicity deepen societal divisions and erode the rule of law.
The groups at the same time criticised the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) for increasingly applying capital charges, as terrorism and robbery with violence, against protesters.
They described the move as a misuse of legal processes that violates constitutional protections and ODPP’s own guidelines
