A Kenyan man who was shot in the head at close range by a police officer during protests has succumbed to his injuries, further intensifying public outrage over police brutality.
Boniface Kariuki died Monday afternoon, a day after doctors at Nairobi’s national referral hospital declared him brain-dead, according to family spokesperson Emily Wanjira.
Kariuki’s shooting was caught on camera by an Associated Press photographer. The images showed him holding face masks, suggesting he may have been a vendor or an uninvolved bystander, when an officer shot him during protests sparked by the death of blogger Albert Ojwang while in police custody.
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The shooting and Ojwang’s death have reignited nationwide anger over systemic police violence in Kenya. Two officers have been arrested in connection with Kariuki’s June 17 shooting, while six, including three other officers, face charges related to Ojwang’s death.
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Police initially claimed Ojwang fatally injured himself by banging his head against a wall, but that version of events was contradicted by a pathologist’s report, which ruled out self-inflicted trauma.
Human rights organizations have long sounded the alarm on extrajudicial arrests, torture, and the abuse of dissenters by security forces. President William Ruto has pledged to put an end to such practices, declaring that no enforced disappearances would be tolerated under his government.
However, recent remarks by Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen have raised concerns. Following a series of police station torchings, Murkomen reportedly instructed officers to “shoot on sight” anyone who approached police stations during protests and advised them not to retreat unless outnumbered by crowds larger than 20.
He cited unnamed “orders from above” as the basis for the directive.
The Kenya Law Society swiftly condemned the statement, calling it unlawful. “Any unjustified use of force would be deemed a premeditated crime,” the group stated.
