Finance Bill demos: All Saints Cathedral demands IG Koome apologise for police shooting in church

The All Saints Cathedral has demanded an apology from the Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome over the conduct of police officers during the anti-Finance Bill 2024 protests in Nairobi last week.

In a statement on Sunday, the church said that protesters took refuge in their premises on Tuesday, June 25 but officers still lobbed teargas canisters and fired live rounds of ammunition in their compound, harming some people.

“At 4:30 pm a contingent of military officers stormed the compound of ASC threatening everyone they found. Ordering unarmed. peaceful youth to lie down and they shot live bullets indiscriminately in the compound,” read the statement in part.

The church said as such, the police violated the church's sanctity. It demanded that police respect all protected public infrastructures.

"We therefore demand an apology from the inspector General of Police for his officers nearly deconsecrating our place of worship," said the cathedral.

President William Ruto succumbed to mounting public pressure on Wednesday, June 26 and announced that he would not sign the contentious Finance Bill 2024 into law.

He said instead, he would engage Kenyan youth to hear their perspectives and concerns.

Ruto has already submitted a Memorandum of Referral to National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula, officially initiating the process to have the controversial Bill withdrawn.

Protests against the proposed law saw over 27 youths killed by police while many more sustained injuries after police officers fired live bullets at the unarmed crowds.

Human rights groups report that the number of victims could be higher, as more unidentified bodies lie in morgues across the nation.