Kenyan President William Ruto has sparked outrage after ordering police to shoot protesters in the legs if they are caught damaging property or attacking businesses, amid a deadly crackdown on nationwide anti-government demonstrations.
“Don’t kill them—just make sure their legs are broken,” Ruto said in a televised address on Wednesday, instructing security forces to incapacitate, not eliminate, rioters. The comment came days after 31 people were reported killed in the latest wave of protests, according to Kenya’s human rights commission, while police put the number at 11.
The UN has condemned the use of live ammunition on demonstrators and called for accountability. “Lethal ammunition, rubber bullets, tear gas, and water cannons were used,” said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office. A 12-year-old child was among those killed.
Protests erupted again last month following the death of blogger Albert Ojwang in police custody. Anger over police brutality, rising living costs, and youth unemployment has reignited mass demonstrations in at least 17 of Kenya’s 47 counties. Protesters have been chanting “Ruto must go” and “wantam” — shorthand for “one term,” urging the president to step down before 2027 elections.
Ruto blamed the opposition for fueling unrest and warned of harsh consequences. “Kenya will not be ruled through threats, terror or chaos. Not under my watch,” he said, rejecting calls for early elections and insisting on constitutional order.
Opposition leaders, meanwhile, accused the government of unleashing state-backed militias in unmarked vehicles and vowed to continue their resistance. “This regime is hostile… it must be resisted. We will not rest. We will not retreat,” they said in a joint statement.
Kenya’s Chief Justice Martha Koome has cautioned that escalating violence threatens the country’s democracy, while rights groups demand an independent inquiry into the killings, looting, and alleged extrajudicial actions by security forces.
