0 comments
A new round of political debate and public outrage has swept across Kenya in the wake of the release of the explosive BBC Africa Eye documentary ‘Blood Parliament.’
BBC Africa Eye’s new documentary ‘Blood Parliament’ delves into the chilling events of July 2024 amid protests against Kenya’s contested Finance Bill. It has exposed layers of brutality and prompted questions about state accountability, democratic rights, and police violence.
The film is a documentation of a day that many believe marks a turning point for Kenya’s democratic progress, when the young protesters, mainly members of Gen Z, took to the streets in peaceful processions in Nairobi and larger towns in opposition to the Finance Bill, only to be tear-gassed, shot at and bloodied.
According to Amnesty International report, at least 65 died, hundreds were injured, and a number have been kidnapped in scenes captured on amateur video and by eyewitness accounts that have now been verified and dissected by the BBC’s investigative gaze.
The film contains disturbing images of protesters shot in the back while running, mothers weeping for sons, lawmakers charged with turning a blind eye to the carnage while voting through the Bill that would squeeze more taxes out of what was already an impoverished citizenry.
The documentary further shows the three youths who were killed by two police officers and a military personnel at the parliament.
A day after the documentary was published, there was a press conference by the Government Spokesperson of Kenya, who dismissed some scenes as ‘selectively edited,’ while maintaining ‘the BBC documentary was one-sided and we do not approve it as government.’
Regardless, pressure continues to mount on President William Ruto’s administration, especially from the public, the opposition and civil society.
The Law Society of Kenya has condemned the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) over the slow investigations. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) indicated that it would reopen investigations into the abductions and fatalities during the Finance Bill protests.
Human rights organizations, including Amnesty Kenya and Haki Africa, are calling for top security officers to step down to allow for independent investigations.
‘This is not just about a documentary,’ Irungu Houghton, Executive Director of Amnesty Kenya, said. ‘It is about whether Kenya wishes to be a nation that respects the right to life, freedom of expression, and the rule of law, or not.’
