Kenyan authorities have reportedly blocked the public screening of the BBC Africa Eye documentary “Blood Parliament,” which investigates the fatal police shootings during last year’s anti-tax protests outside Parliament buildings in Nairobi.
The screening, scheduled for Monday evening at Unseen Nairobi cinema, was to feature a panel discussion, but was abruptly cancelled under what the BBC described as “pressure from the authorities.”
“We are very disappointed not to have been able to share the documentary and panel discussion as planned. In the meantime, audiences can watch the film on BBC Africa’s YouTube channel,” said a BBC spokesperson.
The documentary, released just a day earlier, has already garnered over two million views online and sparked widespread debate. It details the events of June 25, 2024, when police are alleged to have used lethal force against peaceful protestors—mostly youth-led demonstrators opposing the controversial Finance Bill.
Using over 5,000 images, video footage, and eyewitness accounts, BBC investigators identify both the officers who gave orders and those who allegedly pulled the trigger. Among them is a police officer from Nairobi’s Central Police Station, Job Kaboi, who is captured allegedly coordinating lethal action, and a masked officer believed to have shot and killed 39-year-old David Chege and 25-year-old Erickson Mutisya near Parliament.
The film further identifies a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officer allegedly responsible for the killing of 27-year-old University of Nairobi student Eric Shieni, who was shot in the head while fleeing.
Despite more than 60 deaths being recorded during the June and July 2024 demonstrations, no public report has yet been released on police accountability. Human rights organisations and opposition figures have criticised the silence and suppression, warning it signals a backslide in civil liberties and press freedom.
Senator Edwin Sifuna, who was present during the protests, has already defended the documentary as factual and condemned efforts to silence it. Meanwhile, the BBC insists the film remains accessible to the public via its official YouTube channel.
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