Babu Owino demands action after visiting protest victims at KNH

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has called for accountability, demanding that those responsible for the shootings during Tuesday’s protests, be brought to book.

In a statement on Wednesday, the MP condemned what he described as a “massacre” after visiting victims of police brutality admitted at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).

“This is not the Kenya we want. No Kenyan should be hunted down for expressing their views or for standing up for their future,” he said.

“We will not be cowed. We will not stop demanding justice. And we will not stop standing with the people of Kenya until those responsible are held to account.”

Babu Owino said a total of 16 young people had been taken to the hospital with injuries sustained during the demonstrations.

Of these, nine had been discharged, while seven remained hospitalised.

“Of the seven still in the wards, two are in critical condition, one of whom is the young man seen in widely circulated footage being shot in cold blood,” Owino stated.

He recounted the nature of injuries he witnessed among the victims, describing them as evidence of deliberate attacks. 

“One patient has seven gunshot wounds to the back. Two others were shot in the eye. Another has a gunshot wound in the leg. One was shot in the neck, and another in the lower back,” he said.

“These were not accidents. These were deliberate, targeted attacks on unarmed civilians — children of this republic.”

The MP, a vocal critic of excessive police force, said the actions amounted to criminal conduct. 

“The use of live bullets against protesters, many of whom were peacefully exercising their constitutional rights, is criminal and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms,” he said.

Earlier on, former Chief Justice David Maraga condemned the brutality and called for justice.

He said that as a result of using ‘rogue operatives’ and goons, at least 22 people were reported to have been injured in the protests.

“The Kenya National Human Rights Commission (KNCHR), an independent national human rights institution established by the Kenyan Constitution and the KNCHR Act under Article 59 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010, has, as of this evening, recorded twenty-two casualties of shootings and violent attacks that happened across the country today,” he said.

The Judiciary has since assured that justice will be served.

The courts remain committed to their constitutional mandate to uphold justice, including in cases relating to police brutality and other forms of misconduct,” it said in a statement. 

The Judiciary also emphasised that these matters would be handled through impartial, independent processes rooted in the rule of law.