Kenya’s Police Chief Resigns Following Criticism Over Protests

NAIROBI, Reuters: Kenya’s police chief Japhet Koome resigned on Friday following intense criticism of officers’ conduct during anti-government protests last month in which at least 39 people were killed.

President William Ruto’s office announced Koome’s resignation the day after he fired nearly his entire cabinet, bowing to the demands of protesters. Koome’s deputy Douglas Kanja has been made acting police chief, it said.

The demonstrations against proposed tax increases began peacefully but turned violent. Police fired tear gas, water cannon and live ammunition, and some protesters stormed parliament.

Ruto scrapped the tax increases but protests have continued, with some activists demanding the president’s resignation as well as far-reaching political changes to tackle corruption and poor governance.

They have also accused police of using excessive force and abducting dozens of people as they tried to stop the protests.

Ruto, in office since September 2022, said in an event hosted on social media platform X last week that reported abductions were regrettable and that any officers found responsible would be held to account.

The body of Denzel Omondi, a protester who disappeared during the demonstrations, was discovered last week in a quarry outside the capital Nairobi, Amnesty International said. It called for an independent investigation into his death.

Police officials have not yet commented on the Amnesty report.

On Friday, at least eight other bodies were found in a quarry in Mukuru, a collection of slums in Nairobi, Reuters eyewitnesses and rights groups said.

“Most of them have decomposed but one was fresh. We don’t know if we can relate it to protests or it’s femicide since most of them are women,” said Miriam Nyamuita, an activist with the Mukuru Community Justice Centre.

She and other human rights activists called for immediate investigations.

A government spokesperson shared a police statement on X saying that the authorities were analysing samples to identify the deceased and that investigations were underway.