They Were Us: Stories of Victims and Survivors of Police Brutality in Kenya

THEY WERE US aims to reduce police brutality and achieve justice for bereaved families who lost loved ones to police killings in Kenya. All proceeds will go to the Mothers of Victims and Survivors Network. It was founded by Mama Victor (Benna Buluma) who lost two sons, Bernard and Victor, to police killings during the Kenyan 2017 post-election violence. Realizing she was not alone in experiencing such injustice, she reached out to other affected families. Together they share stories of oppression, provide psycho-social support and economic empowerment.

The project documents the stories of eighteen families dealing with a political system where poverty is criminalized through state-sanctioned violence - in the name of safer communities. It shows how community members in the poorest neighborhoods reclaim their right to exist through civic participation, community organizing and documentation of human rights violations. Project team members are Mama Victor, writer Kanyi Wyban and photographer Betty Press.