Bunge la Mwananchi President Francis Awino has filed a petition with the East African Court of Justice (EACJ), seeking to hold the government accountable for the deaths and injuries incurred during the Gen Z protests.
In his petition to the Arusha-based court, Awino alleges that the government violated citizens’ constitutional right to protest, leading to numerous injuries, deaths, abductions, and forced evictions. He referenced reports from human rights organizations that estimate 60 fatalities and 66 mysterious disappearances related to the protests.
Awino has urged the court to hold President William Ruto, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Attorney General, Interior CS Kithure Kindiki, and former Inspector General Japhet Koome criminally responsible for these events.
He has also requested that the court mandate a thorough investigation into the human rights violations and issue an order to prevent further violence against protesters by law enforcement officers.
The petition includes allegations regarding the Githurai shooting, where military officers reportedly fired on protesters, resulting in casualties. Additionally, Awino claims that the state suppressed media coverage by disrupting internet services during the protests and forcibly evicting thousands from their homes in Mathare, Mukuru, and Kibera.
Awino criticized the selective enforcement of demolitions, noting that slum areas faced aggressive actions while similar structures in wealthier neighborhoods remained untouched.
“While demolitions in slums were aggressively pursued, similar structures in affluent areas were largely untouched, highlighting a discriminatory application of the law,” the notice read in part.
He highlighted that the demolitions, accompanied by police violence, resulted in injuries and deaths among residents, including a 17-year-old boy killed during the resistance to forced evictions in Mathare.
