Death toll from Kenya’s latest anti-government protest surges to 31

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The death toll from Kenya’s anti-government protests on Monday has surged to 31, marking the highest single-day toll since the demonstrations began earlier this year, the state-funded human rights commission said Tuesday.

It said another 107 people were injured and more than 500 were arrested amid widespread destruction of property, including supermarkets. The arrest figure largely tracked with the one issued by police. The death toll did not say whether any security forces were included.

For weeks, youth and other citizens have taken to the streets to protest against police brutality and poor governance and to demand President William Ruto’s resignation over alleged corruption and the rising cost of living.

Ruto has not commented on Monday's protest or its toll.

The U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, on Tuesday urged that the grievances leading to the protests are addressed. Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said he “renews his call for calm and restraint, and full respect for the freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly.”

Monday’s demonstrations, which were met with police roadblocks preventing access to downtown Nairobi, were planned to coincide with the 35th anniversary of the historic Saba Saba pro-democracy protests. Saba Saba is Swahili for Seven Seven.

July 7 holds deep significance in Kenya, marking the first major pro-democracy protests in 1990 that called on then-President Daniel arap Moi — Ruto’s political mentor — to transition from a one-party state to a multiparty democracy. That demand was realized during the 1992 general elections.

This year's wave of protests was sparked by a blogger's death in police custody last month. Police shot a civilian at close range during a protest on June 17. On June 25, thousands of youths turned out across the country.

A total of 50 people have been killed in the protests over the last two weeks.

The Kenya National Cohesion and Integration Commission, a government body whose commissioners are appointed by the president, on Tuesday urged politicians not to fuel ethnic tensions and criticized police for using excessive force towards protesters.

Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen last week told police to “shoot on sight” anyone who approaches police stations during protests after several were burned.

The public anger has built on Ruto's efforts to make Kenyans pay more to help pay off massive government debt. Last year, thousands of young people protesting rising taxes stormed parliament, leading Ruto to promise to cut government spending.

With some people taking advantage of the chaos, some businesses have said they have lost large amounts of goods.

"They invaded our shop, and by the way, we have lost so many things. We lost cash, phones, a lot of them,” mobile phone seller Nancy Gicharu said.

ADDITION: CLARIFIES DATE - Riot police scatter protesters with water cannons during demonstrations to mark the historic 1990 Saba Saba (a Swahili word that means seven seven) protests for democratic reforms in the Kangemi slum of Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, July 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

ADDITION: CLARIFIES DATE - Demonstrators gesture to anti-riot police during demonstrations to mark the historic 1990 Saba Saba (a Swahili word that means seven seven) protests for democratic reforms in the Kangemi slum of Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, July 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)