By Erestinah Jane | July 1, 2026
One person was killed and two others seriously injured after violent clashes broke out between police and residents in Nairobi’s Mathare informal settlement during protests over the alleged disappearance of two community activists.
The unrest erupted on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in the Kiamaiko area, where residents, youth groups and human rights activists had gathered to demand answers over the whereabouts of two missing community organizers.
According to eyewitnesses and journalists at the scene, police fired live ammunition and tear gas to disperse protesters after demonstrations escalated into confrontations.
Witnesses reported that a young man was shot in the head during the clashes and died at the scene, while two other residents sustained gunshot wounds and were rushed to hospital for treatment.
The exact circumstances surrounding the shooting had not been officially confirmed by police at the time of publication, and authorities had not released an official casualty report.
The protest had been organized by the Mathare Social Justice Centre (MSJC), whose members accused security agencies of unlawfully detaining or forcibly disappearing two community activists, Maxwell Kiarie and Abdulaziz Molu.
According to the organization, the two activists disappeared under unclear circumstances over the past two weeks, with community leaders alleging that they were taken by suspected state agents.
The protesters demanded that the government disclose the whereabouts of the two men or produce them before a court if they were lawfully arrested.
What began as a peaceful demonstration later descended into violent running battles between residents and police.
Security officers deployed large quantities of tear gas to disperse crowds as protesters blocked roads with stones, burning tyres and other debris.
Small groups of youths responded by hurling stones at police, while smoke from burning barricades filled sections of the settlement as businesses closed and residents fled the affected areas.
The clashes disrupted transport and normal business activities around Kiamaiko for several hours before security officers regained control of the area.
The incident comes amid growing concern among human rights organizations over allegations of enforced disappearances, unlawful detentions and extrajudicial actions targeting activists
