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00:00Rights groups and relatives have accused Kenyan authorities of a cover-up of dozens of alleged
00:06police killings, unexplained abductions and illegal detentions related to these anti-government
00:12protests, known as the Gen Z protests because of the young people involved.
00:16The body of 19-year-old Charles Owino lies in the street, killed by a gunshot to the
00:21head according to an autopsy report seen by Reuters.
00:25The police recorded his death as a road accident in the Moor Glog book, his brother told Reuters.
00:31The National Police Service did not reply to questions about four such cases examined
00:35by Reuters.
00:38The battered body of another protester, Denzel Amondi, was found in a pond at an abandoned
00:43quarry on Nairobi's outskirts nine days after he disappeared.
00:47The autopsy report seen by Reuters detailed hyperinflated lungs as well as bruises on
00:53his head, neck, forearm and knees.
00:56It recorded the death as drowning, but something else happened first, the family said.
01:01They said Kenya's IPOA watchdog, which probes cases of police brutality, has promised to
01:07investigate.
01:08Amondi's mother, Jadida Ombura.
01:10He went to the parliament during demonstrations and he was one of the Gen Zs who went there
01:20following the video which came up on the social media.
01:24And after that, the boy went missing.
01:29Reuters spoke to three police officers who work in a unit deployed during protests.
01:34They described police covering their tracks by mischaracterizing deaths caused by officers
01:39as accidents, drownings or mob justice.
01:42Thousands of young Kenyans took to the streets against tax hikes and political corruption
01:46from late June to December.
01:49Deputy President Kithora Kendiki has said 42 people were killed in a police response
01:54that rights groups say involved firing live rounds.
01:59Kenya's National Commission on Human Rights, which is government funded, also recorded
02:0382 enforced disappearances, 29 of which remain unaccounted for.
02:08The officers who spoke to Reuters about their work requested anonymity to speak about the
02:12subject.
02:15One policeman described working undercover during the protests to organize abductions.
02:20Me, as an officer, I'll be sent there to pretend.
02:25I'm there but undercover.
02:27Here is the person.
02:29Take their number.
02:31I can even send him or her money and talk about going back for protests the next day.
02:37At this point, I would have got them.
02:41The police did not respond to questions about these allegations.
02:44Bob Njergi is a high-profile rights activist who took part in the protests.
02:49He said he was held for a month sustaining these injuries.
02:52During these 30 days I was only fed once a day a very small meal of ugali, that is corn
03:01and cabbage and a cup of tea in the morning.
03:10I was allowed to take a shower once a week, every seven days, but my handcuffs remained
03:19intact both day and night.
03:23Otsieno Namwaya of Human Rights Watch says Kenyan police are required to take those arrested
03:28to stations then caught.
03:30What we are seeing are people in plain clothes hiding their faces, basically covering their
03:36faces.
03:37They abduct people in a very violent, very threatening or scary way and then they don't
03:44even take them to police stations.
03:46So in the first place, those things should not be happening.
03:50But because it has happened, we need accountability.
03:53The offices of Kenyan President William Ruto, his deputy president and the interior ministry
03:59did not respond to requests for comment.
04:01In a late December speech, Ruto acknowledged, quote, instances of excessive and extrajudicial
04:07actions by members of the security services.