By Were Kelly
Nairobi, Thursday, July 10, 2025
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Renson Ingonga, has announced that Police Constable Klinzy Masinde Baraza will face murder charges over the fatal shooting of Boniface Kariuki Mwangi, a mask vendor, during anti-police brutality protests in Nairobi on June 17.
Following the conclusion of investigations and review of damning video evidence, the DPP confirmed that Baraza will be charged with the murder of Mwangi, who was shot in broad daylight on Mondlane Street near Imenti House, as demonstrators rallied in Nairobi’s Central Business District.
However, Baraza’s co-accused, Duncan Kiprono, who was photographed alongside him during the incident, has been released without charges.
Footage of the shooting, widely circulated online , shows a uniformed officer—allegedly Baraza—charging at unarmed protesters before firing a shot.
Another officer, believed to be Kiprono, struck the vendor with the butt of a firearm before Baraza reportedly fired a close-range shot to Mwangi’s head. Mwangi was seen falling to the ground.
The wounded vendor was rushed to Bliss Medical Center for emergency care and later transferred to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). After nearly two weeks in the Intensive Care Unit, Mwangi succumbed to his injuries on Monday, June 30, at 3:15 p.m.
The incident drew widespread outrage from the public and human rights groups, who condemned the use of lethal force on peaceful demonstrators. The protests on June 17 had been organized to call out exactly such instances of police brutality.
Baraza and Kiprono were arrested two days after the incident and appeared in court on June 19. The Milimani Law Courts granted a joint request by the prosecution and defense to detain them for 15 days to allow further investigations by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA). Both officers were attached to the Kileleshwa Police Station.
With Baraza now facing a murder charge, the case is likely to set a significant precedent in Kenya’s long-standing struggle with police accountability and use of force.
Meanwhile, Kariuki is set to be buried this week at his family home in Kangema, Murang’a County. A requiem mass was held in his honor at the Holy Family Basilica in Nairobi on Wednesday, drawing hundreds of mourners, activists, and supporters calling for justice.
