Dr. Reuben Kigame Demands Prosecution of Top Government Officials Over Protest Killings

 

In a landmark legal development, presidential aspirant and respected public figure Dr. Reuben Kigame has issued a formal legal demand for the prosecution of top Kenyan government officials over alleged crimes against humanity committed during recent Gen Z-led protests.

Through his lawyers, Gitobu Imanyara & Co. Advocates, Dr. Kigame has written to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), calling for urgent legal action following weeks of deadly state response to mass demonstrations. The six-page letter, dated July 17, 2025, cites violations under the International Crimes Act — including murder, torture, and enforced disappearances — and places direct blame on senior state officials, including the Cabinet Secretary for Interior, the Inspector General of Police, and the President himself.

A Country in Crisis

The demand comes in the wake of unprecedented youth-led protests that have swept the nation in opposition to the high cost of living, increased taxation, and entrenched corruption. While initially peaceful and grounded in constitutional rights to free expression, association, and assembly, the protests have been met with violent suppression by security forces.

Human rights groups and eyewitness accounts have described harrowing scenes: police firing live rounds into crowds, arbitrary arrests, and systematic abductions of protesters and suspected organizers.

Dr. Kigame’s legal notice alleges a pattern of brutality that amounts to crimes against humanity under both Kenyan and international law. The letter outlines command responsibility — a principle that holds leaders accountable for crimes committed under their authority — and accuses the state of using the security apparatus to crush dissent with lethal force.

Cabinet’s Shift — Too Late?

On July 18, just a day after the legal letter was filed, the Cabinet Secretary for Interior issued a directive to the Director General of the National Police Service ordering an immediate halt to all “shoot-to-kill” and “shoot-to-immobilize” tactics. While the directive marked a significant departure from the government’s earlier hardline posture, many observers say the response came far too late.

To date, civil society organizations have documented the deaths of more than 90 civilians, many of them teenagers and young adults. The legal filing by Dr. Kigame includes a disturbing annex with 91 names of alleged victims — including 12-year-old Bridgit Njoki Wainaina and university student Ian Mungai of Mount Kenya University.

Key Demands to the ODPP

Dr. Kigame’s legal team has issued four urgent demands to the Office of the DPP:

Open independent criminal investigations into the killings, abductions, and torture to, Prosecute key government officials, including the Interior CS, within 10 days,Secure and preserve all critical evidence, including CCTV footage, ballistics, and autopsy reports and Consent to private prosecution if the ODPP fails to act within the stipulated timeframe.

Failing compliance, Dr. Kigame plans to seek court permission to initiate a private prosecution — a rare but constitutionally protected path that could set a precedent in holding state actors accountable.

A Defining Moment for Kenyan Justice

This bold legal challenge places the country’s justice institutions at a crossroads. It is more than a legal move; it is a public test of whether Kenya’s democracy can protect its citizens from the very state meant to serve them.

In the letter, Kigame’s lawyers write:

“The gravity of the alleged crimes — state-sponsored murder, torture, and enforced disappearance of its own citizens for exercising fundamental rights — strikes at the very heart of the rule of law and our constitutional order.”

As the 10-day ultimatum begins, the nation watches closely. Will the ODPP act decisively, or will it shield those accused of ordering deadly crackdowns? The coming days may shape the trajectory of justice and accountability in Kenya for years to come.