)
With the number of Kenyans killed during the recent Saba Saba day protests rising, renowned chef Dennis Ombachi has given his unfiltered take on the developments in the country
Ombachi took to social media to give his take, noting with pain that the Kenyan flag which is a powerful symbol of the country’s unity, history and identity is now used to wrap more coffins that at celebrations, terming it the ultimate betrayal.
Conveying the depth of his pain, Ombachi who represented the country as a rugby player, proudly flying the country’s flag across the globe lamented that those whose coffins have been draped in the national flag are sadly not heroes killed in war abroad or fallen in battle but are patriotic citizens silenced by guns that promised to protect them.
READ: Gachagua breaks down his detailed plan to take Ruto to ICC, reveals next steps
Kenyan flags now wrap more coffins than celebrations. Not from war abroad, but from bullets at home. Not heroes fallen in battle, but citizens silenced by the very guns that promised to protect them. This isn’t patriotism. It’s betrayal.
File image of Kenyan protesters carrying Ericsson Kyalo Mutisya’s body draped in the flag after he was shot dead during peaceful protests in Nairobi, Kenya.
Deaths from Saba Saba protests surge
An update given by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) as of Friday evening has placed the number of those killed during the Saba Saba Day protest at 38.
Not less than 130 people sustained injuries in what turned out to be another bloody day in the country.
@HakiKNCHR observes that the death toll has now risen to thirty-eight (38) people as of 1800hrs today. At least 130 people are still nursing injuries at home & in health facilities across the country.
READ: Boniface Kariuki’s shooting: Case against officer Klinzy Masinde Barasa escalates
KNCHR has been documenting fatalities across the country, complete with names of those killed or injured with the government giving a lower number of fatalities.
How the Kenyan flag became a powerful symbol of resistance during protests
Unlike past protests where political figures and personalities determined symbols of protests with a few protesters carrying the flag to the streets during demos, Kenyans from across different demographics were united by the flag in their collective plight and agitation for a better country.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga and the opposition for instance carried sufurias and cooking sticks to the streets in 2023 as a symbol of their protests, citing the high cost of living at the time.
The Kenyan flag turned into a powerful tool for resistance against the Kenya Kwanza regime during the protests led by gen Zs with those behind the protests urging all to turn up with flags at protests.
Kenyans have also taken it upon themselves to support the families of those killed or injured during protests, draping their coffins in national flag as a mark of honour for patriots who paid the ultimate price while agitating for a better country and pushing back against the Kenya Kwanza regime.
The practice kicked off last year during the gen-Z-led protests and the “occupy movement” when protesters carrying the Kenyan flag took over all available spaces to voice their concerns and protests on a number of issues including increased taxation, abductions, extra-judicial killings, corruption among others.
File image of Kenyan protesters hold a Kenyan flag over the body of a fellow youth killed during peaceful protests in Nairobi, Kenya, on 25th June 2024.
Those felled by bullets believed to have been fired by security agencies cracking down brutally on unarmed protesters were honored as true patriots with their bodies draped in the Kenyan flag.