The Independent Policing Oversight Authority has confirmed that 65 people died during protests that rocked the country between June and July 2025, with most of the deaths linked to police actions during crowd control efforts.

In a detailed report released on Thursday, the authority said officers, both in uniform and plainclothes, were deployed across the country to handle the demonstrations but failed to wear visible name tags or service numbers as required by law.

The officers were armed with batons, guns, teargas, and other tools used for dispersing crowds, and were seen blocking off major government locations such as Harambee Avenue, Parliament Road, City Hallway, and the National Treasury using police vehicles and tear gas.

According to IPOA, the protests left 342 civilians injured and 171 police officers wounded between June 17 and July 7, 2025. Out of the 65 deaths, only five were officially reported to the authority by the National Police Service — a move IPOA criticised sharply.

“The failure to report these deaths compromises independent oversight, violates statutory requirements, and reflects a disturbing pattern of non-compliance,” the report stated.

The unrest was sparked by the death of blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang’, who died while in police custody, triggering widespread anger. The first protest took place in Nairobi on June 17 and quickly spread across various counties.

During that initial protest, Boniface Mwangi Kariuki was shot and later died in hospital. IPOA immediately began investigations that led to the arrest and prosecution of police officer Klinzy Masinde Barasa.

The report also broke down the deaths by region. On June 17, Nairobi recorded seven deaths, while Kiambu and Nyeri had four each.

Machakos and Makueni reported two fatalities each, and Uasin Gishu, Kajiado, Nyandarua, and Nakuru reported one death each. That day, 195 civilians and 99 police officers were injured, and 362 people were arrested in areas where protests were active.

The July 7 demonstrations resulted in an additional 41 deaths. Kiambu was the worst affected with 10 fatalities, followed by Kajiado and Nairobi with seven each, Murang’a with four, Laikipia and Nakuru with three each, Embu with three, Meru with two, and Kirinyaga and Nyandarua with one each.

Another 146 civilians and 72 police officers were injured in the July protests.

So far, IPOA has participated in 61 postmortems and plans to attend the remaining four once they are scheduled. The agency confirmed that investigations into several of the deaths are still ongoing.