Kenya police are told not to report deaths during protests. A watchdog says they killed 6 this week

abcnews.go.com:

Police in Kenya say they have been ordered not to report deaths amid demonstrations against the rising cost of living

NAIROBI, Kenya — Police in Kenya say they have been ordered not to report deaths during a crackdown on protests over tax increases amid the rising cost of living, but an independent watchdog said Thursday that police shot dead at least six people this week and 27 in previous weeks.

A police official told The Associated Press they were told this week not to report any deaths in the demonstrations that the political opposition has called through Friday. It wasn't immediately clear who issued the order. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly. Police in the previous demonstration last week confirmed officers killed at least six.

While police in Kenya have long been accused by rights groups of using excessive force, there is growing concern about tactics used under the government of President William Ruto, elected last year. One police officer also was seen posing as a journalist in Wednesday’s protest, which the Media Council of Kenya called dangerous.

Ruto faces rising frustration from even some of the Kenyans who voted him into office after he vowed to reduce the cost of living. The latest demonstrations were sparked by the passage of a finance bill imposing new taxes.

“One thing we’re very concerned with, there’s increasing interference with police, where police are receiving orders outside the police command and beginning to act in the interests of the executive and not the public interest,” the executive director of the Independent Medico-Legal Unit watchdog, Peter Kiama, told the AP on Thursday.

Kiami said it is illegal for police officers to fail