A protest in Nairobi demanding justice for a blogger who died in police custody took a violent turn Tuesday after a masked officer shot an unarmed man at point-blank range.
The act witnessed by an Associated Press journalist is now fueling national fury.
The victim, believed to be a vendor selling face masks, was shot in the head as he walked away from a tense exchange with two officers on a city sidewalk. The officer fired what appeared to be a shotgun at close range, leaving the man critically injured.
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He was among at least 11 people rushed to Kenya’s largest public referral hospital following the chaos. A hospital spokesperson confirmed that many of the victims were suffering from gunshot wounds.
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Kenya’s police released a statement condemning the shooting and confirmed the officer involved had been arrested.
Protesters had gathered to demand accountability in the death of blogger Albert Ojwang, who was arrested on June 6 after a defamation complaint by Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Langat, and later died while in custody.
On Monday, Langat announced he would temporarily step aside to allow for investigations and promised full cooperation with authorities. Meanwhile, Samson Talam, the officer in charge of the Central Police Station where Ojwang died, and fellow officer James Mukhwana, were both arrested last week.
READ ALSO: Outrage in Kenya as police officer arrested over blogger’s death in custody
But tensions reached a boiling point Tuesday. What began as a demonstration spiraled into street skirmishes when motorcycle riders attacked both protesters and bystanders, grabbing phones and bags. In retaliation, demonstrators set a motorcycle on fire, and several people, riders and protesters alike, were injured.
The latest incident has reignited deep concerns about Kenya’s entrenched police brutality. Despite President William Ruto‘s past pledges to put an end to extrajudicial killings, the country has witnessed repeated cycles of violence.
Last year, protests against a controversial finance bill saw multiple activists and citizens abducted and killed by security forces, events that sparked calls for President Ruto’s resignation and intensified demands for police reform.
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