Pressure is intensifying on Kenya’s police and military following the release of BBC Africa Eye’s documentary Blood Parliament, which exposed chilling footage of security forces shooting and killing unarmed protesters during the anti-tax demonstrations on June 25, 2024. The exposé, supported by open-source data and over 5,000 crowd-sourced images, identified uniformed officers firing at protesters who had breached Kenya’s parliament in opposition to the controversial Finance Bill.
The documentary has reignited public anger and calls for accountability. Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), have demanded that the identified officers “face the law.” Amnesty says the findings confirm its own investigations, which recorded 65 protest-related deaths, 89 enforced disappearances, and thousands of arrests. The government disputes this, placing the death toll at 42.
Kenya’s Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) acknowledged 60 protest-related deaths are under investigation, with 41 caused by gunshots. It says 22 investigations are complete, two are before courts, and 233 injuries have been recorded.
The government has pushed back. Spokesman Isaac Mwaura criticized the BBC for a “one-sided” narrative, arguing it ignored the vandalism at parliament. He claimed the media should have sought government input and warned the documentary could incite unrest. Meanwhile, the Kenya Defence Forces stated they had not received any formal inquiry requests.
The documentary, which was set for a private screening in Nairobi, was canceled due to “pressure from authorities,” according to the BBC. It remains available on YouTube.
While some MPs accused the BBC of advancing a “foreign agenda”, others like Millie Odhiambo and Senator Edwin Sifuna called for sober reflection and defended press freedom. KHRC directly blamed President William Ruto, saying he must be held accountable for deploying “organised criminals in uniform.”
As Kenyans continue to express outrage online under the #OccupyParliament banner, the spotlight remains on IPOA and the government’s willingness to pursue justice and transparency amid mounting pressure at home and abroad.
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