A 20-year-old university student, Emmanuel Giggs Tata, died in Mombasa during Tuesday's anti-finance bill protest, the family has confirmed.
Tata is a Science Laboratory student.
He is said to have suffocated after police lobbed teargas canisters to disperse a crowd near Mwembe Tayari along Jomo Kenyatta Avenue in Mombasa Tuesday evening.
According to his family, Tata was heading home with friends when he was caught in the running battles.
He inhaled a large amount of teargas, collapsed, and was rushed to Al Farooq Hospital, where he was declared dead at 4:10 pm, his cousin confirmed to the Star.
His body has been moved to Pandya Hospital mortuary.
The family has reported the incident to the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA).
Muslim for Human Rights (Muhuri) and Tata's family will issue a detailed statement about his death on Wednesday morning.
“We will seek to shed light on this unfortunate incident, and discuss the implications of such actions and the conduct of the police during the protests," said Muhuri Rapid Response Officer, Francis Auma.
Earlier, thousands of young protesters had marched through Mombasa against the Finance Bill 2024.
At least 15 people were injured during clashes between police and protesters, many from teargas and rubber bullets.
Four police officers were also injured during the chaos.
