Two dead in Kenya youth protests

Nairobi: A 21 year old man has died after being hit by a tear gas canister during protests in Kenya this week, a human rights official and the victim...

Nairobi: A 21-year-old man has died after being hit by a tear gas canister during protests in Kenya this week, a human rights official and the victim's relative said Saturday, in the second fatality resulting from the youth-led demonstrations.

Led largely by Gen-Z Kenyans who have livestreamed the demonstrations against tax hikes, the protests have been galvanised by widespread anger over President William Ruto's economic policies.

Thursday's demonstrations in the capital Nairobi were mostly peaceful, but officers fired tear gas and water cannon throughout the day in an attempt to disperse protesters near parliament.

According to a Kenya Human Rights Commission official, 21-year-old Evans Kiratu was "hit by a tear gas canister" during the demonstrations.

"He was rushed to hospital around 6:00 pm (1500 GMT) on Thursday...and died there," Ernest Cornel, a spokesman at the Kenya Human Rights Commission, told AFP.