Saba Saba demos declared the deadliest yet as Kenya records 115 protest deaths in one year

Thirty-two people were killed during the Saba Saba anniversary, making it the highest tally of deaths in one day.

When clinging to faith is all a family in Kutus, Kirinyaga can do, they seek some solace as they try to understand what has befallen them.

One of their own has been taken away from them, prematurely, they say. 24-year-old Edwin Ndamberi’s body lies at a morgue, two days after he was felled by police bullets.

His cousin was present when the bullet pierced Edwin's body.

"Tulikuwa pale Co-operative Bank hapo kwa junction, alikuwa amesimama hapo, polisi akaanza kurusha teargas, tukaanza kumove lakini Edwin hakumove. Kuna police mama mkubwa niliona alikuwa ame-aim, na ni yeye alishoot. Risasi ikapata Edwin kwa kichwa," recounts the cousin.

Despite attempts to save his life by rushing him to hospital, Edwin died, adding to the number of young people who have been felled by police bullets in the course of protests across the country.

This year alone, and in the span of one month, tens of people have been killed as they participated in the protests. Edwin’s death is among thirty-two killed on the seventh of July, during the Saba Saba 35th anniversary.

This represents the highest number of people killed in just one day of protests since they began last year in June.

The protests this year began with the death of teacher Albert Ojwang while in police cells. That murder enraged the country’s youth who took to the streets demanding accountability. 

And there in the glare of the cameras, a police officer in uniform hunted down an unarmed mask seller, Boniface Kariuki, cornered him, took aim and discharged his weapon. Kariuki lost the battle for his life nearly a week later.

On the anniversary of the first anti-government protests, the security officers deployed across various parts of the country were again facing criticism over the amount of force they used to ostensibly keep law and order.

When the air had cleared of teargas, 21 lives had been lost across the country, including those of 17-year-old Ian Opango.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights puts the number of deaths spanning from June last year to July at 115.

The commission says 62 people were killed between June 2024 and February 2025, 21 lives were lost during the June 25, 2025 protests, while 32 were killed on Monday during the Saba Saba commemoration.

Autopsies conducted on the bodies of the deceased have indicated gunshot wounds and blunt force trauma as the leading causes of these deaths.

Over one thousand Kenyans have also been left injured, with some still nursing injuries from as far back as 2024 from confrontations between them and law enforcement.