Thirty-one people died in Monday’s nationwide anti-government protests in Kenya, the country’s National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) said on Tuesday, more than tripling its previous toll of 10.
The KNCHR also reported two forced disappearances in the wake of the marches commemorating a 1990 uprising against autocratic rule in the east African nation.
Clashes between protesters and police had erupted on the fringes of the capital Nairobi, with the KNCHR accusing the police of cooperating with armed gangs in the wake of the violence.
Monday’s marches marked Saba Saba day — meaning Seven Seven — which celebrates the date when Kenyans rose up to demand a return to multi-party democracy on July 7, 1990 after years of autocratic rule by then-president Daniel arap Moi.