Bonface Mwangi Kariuki, the 29-year-old hawker who was shot at close range during anti-Finance Bill protests in Nairobi on June 17, has died.
According to family spokesperson Emily Wanjira, Kariuki passed away at 3:15 p.m. on Monday at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), where he had been in the Intensive Care Unit for nearly two weeks. “We were informed on Saturday night that his brain stem had completely shut down. He had been on life support ever since,” Wanjira said.
A KNH official confirmed the death, stating, “It is true he passed on more than an hour ago. The family will give you more details.”
Kariuki’s shooting, captured on camera, triggered nationwide outrage after footage emerged showing two police officers confronting him before one allegedly fired at close range. The incident occurred along Mondlane Street in Nairobi’s central business district, as police moved to disperse demonstrators.
Two officers, Klinzy Barasa Masinde and Duncan Kiprono, are in custody as investigations continue. They were arrested by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on June 18 and booked at Capitol Hill Police Station. A court has since ordered their detention for 15 days as the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and DCI pursue possible murder charges.
DCI investigators are conducting ballistic tests on the officers’ firearms, reviewing CCTV footage, analyzing forensic evidence from the scene, and collecting witness statements. Before his death, Kariuki had been unable to provide a statement due to his condition.
His death now shifts the investigation from attempted murder to a possible murder prosecution, intensifying pressure on IPOA and the DCI to hold those responsible to account.
The incident has reignited calls for police accountability, with former Chief Justice David Maraga and numerous civil rights groups condemning the shooting as a blatant abuse of power.
