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.

Kenyan police were not immediately available for comment on Tuesday.

"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