Three more people shot dead during anti-Gov't protests

Three more people were on Tuesday killed during the ongoing nationwide anti-government protests, taking the death toll since the demonstrations began about a month ago to 53.

During the protests, police continued to use excessive force while dealing with protesters, opening fire indiscriminately.

One of the deceased was shot dead in Kitengela, Kajiado County, where protests turned chaotic after police officers lobbed tear gas canisters at the protesters.

Another was killed in the Nairobi Central Business District, with CCTV footage capturing the death of the protester who was felled by a police bullet.

During the fracas along Moi Avenue in Nairobi, police used deadly force on demonstrators, shooting dead one of the youths who was running away from the protests.

The CCTV footage recorded at 12pm captured three people running away from the police, but the third one falls down a few seconds after a police vehicle, which was speeding off, passed near him at top speed.

The vehicle, which was part other police cars with blocked number plates, with several police officers, some in plain clothes and masked up, was speeding up and down the road firing tear gas canisters and live rounds.

At the same time, several protesters were injured during the demos, with the Bliss Moi Avenue Hospital attending to at least 30, some with gunshot wounds. Those who were in critical condition were rushed to nearby referral hospitals.

At some point, the doctors had to abandon patients to take cover when police lobbed tear gas canisters inside the health facility, causing panic.

This as the police, for the first time since the protests began, used a rare orange powder, to disperse protesters.

The police however say the powder, which some believed could be toxic, was only meant to itch the protesters with the colouration used to identify the protesters.

This came as the Ministry of Interior and National Administration said it had recommended the establishment of the office of the Coroner General to investigate deaths, including those resulting from police action.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) reported that the Tuesday killings pushed the total number of deaths since the protests began to 53.

The commission also recorded 82 more injuries, taking the number to 574. There were 77 more arrests, pushing the tally to 1,201 since the protests began.