Kenyan police open fire at protest against reported abductions, witnesses say

NAIROBI, June 30 - Kenyan police opened fire at a protest in Nairobi against reported abductions on Tuesday, killing at least one person, two witnesses told Reuters.

The protest in the Mathare neighbourhood was triggered by the reported abduction of a businessman this month and came amid mounting concern over kidnappings of critics and crackdowns during protests in Kenya.

"I have seen one person dead and two have gunshot wounds at a hospital in Mathare," said Wanjira Wanjiru, co-founder of Mathare Social Justice Centre, who was at the protest.

Adel Nduba, a resident of Mathare, said the protest was called because his brother had not been seen since he was arrested a week ago.

Two years ago, at least 60 people were killed in a crackdown by security forces according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights after protesters breached parliament grounds during a rally against proposed tax hikes.

Kenya's President William Ruto has acknowledged "instances of excessive and extrajudicial actions by members of the security services". He said earlier this month that 2 billion Kenyan shillings ($15.5 million) had been set aside for victims of protest-related abuses. REUTERS