A 30-year-old man is receiving treatment at Naivasha Sub-County Hospital after being shot by a police officer on Monday morning, reportedly under the influence of alcohol.
The victim, identified as Jimmy Ngugi, was shot in the neck after confronting the officer for urinating on his motorcycle. Ngugi had been attending a performance by Jamaican reggae artist Glen Washington at a club in Naivasha, Nakuru County, when the altercation occurred.
“I approached him and asked why he was urinating on my bike when there was space nearby. I turned on my phone’s light to show him the spot, and he told me, ‘What do you want me to do now?’” Ngugi recounted.
The argument escalated quickly when the officer, who is attached to the Critical Infrastructure Police Unit (CIPU), drew his weapon and fired.
“I told him all I wanted was for him to stop urinating on my bike, but then he pulled out his gun and shot me,” Ngugi explained from his hospital bed.
Ngugi, a boda boda rider, sustained a gunshot wound to the neck and a fractured collarbone. While he is lucky to be alive, his friends who were with him at the time now fear for their safety.
“We are scared for our lives. I was standing right next to him when it happened, and up to now, no action has been taken against the officer,” said one of Ngugi’s friends.
Ngugi and his family are demanding justice and calling for accountability from the authorities.
“I want the government to address this issue of police brutality because officers are abusing their power against innocent people. This is something we’ve witnessed happening repeatedly,” Ngugi said.
Ngugi’s mother, Hannah Wacheke, expressed her disbelief and outrage: “This was a police officer, someone who knows the law. My question is, why are they given guns and then allowed to carry them to bars?”
Isaac Kiama, the head of Criminal Investigations in Naivasha, confirmed that investigations into the incident are ongoing.
