Aasai

Former Chief Justice David Maraga has strongly condemned the use of excessive force on Gen Z protesters during the June 2024 anti-tax demonstrations, following shocking revelations in a new BBC Africa documentary. The exposé, released Monday, shows security forces using lethal force on unarmed youth, sparking fresh outrage over police accountability.

Maraga emphasized that the violent crackdown was a blatant violation of the constitutional right to protest. He called on oversight bodies like IPOA and the Internal Affairs Unit to act swiftly in investigating the killings, saying justice may be slow but is inevitable. "Those behind this violence and breach of the Constitution will one day be held accountable," he said.

He praised young Kenyans and journalists who documented the protests through over 5,000 videos and images, which the BBC used to identify officers involved in the shootings near Parliament. “It is citizen action and fearless journalism that ensure the truth is not erased,” Maraga noted.

Although IPOA has since launched an investigation into the police’s conduct, no official report on the killings at Parliament has been released. Maraga stressed that Kenyans deserve a nation where the rule of law and constitutional rights are respected without fear or force.