Shot mask vendor Boniface Kariuki alive but in critical condition, Father confirms » Capital News
NAIROBI, Kenya, June 18, 2025— Jonah Kariuki Nyambura, the father of 22-year-old Boniface Mwangi Kariuki, a face mask vendor who was shot in the head during Tuesday’s protests in Nairobi, has confirmed that his son is alive but in critical condition at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) Intensive Care Unit.
Boniface was among those caught in a police crackdown on demonstrators during the #JusticeForAlbertOjwang protest, which sought accountability for the death of teacher and blogger Albert Omondi Ojwang while in police custody.
Initial reports had circulated that he had died, but his father says he remains hopeful despite his son’s serious injuries.
“He sells masks. I have brought him up with a lot of challenges,” said Jonah at KNH on Wednesday.
“He is still not in good condition. I am deeply saddened by his condition, but I am hopeful that he will recover,” said Jonah Kariuki at KNH on Wednesday.
Jonah said Boniface had left their home in Makadara on Tuesday morning to hawk masks in the Central Business District when the incident occurred.
He first saw footage of the shooting on his phone, but it was not until later that evening that he received a call confirming it was his son.
“Around 8 p.m., those close to him called me and said he had been shot. I slept here at KNH, and in the morning, I saw him in the ICU. At least now I have hope,” he added.
Jonah also appealed to law enforcement officers to carry out their duties within the confines of the law.
“I plead with those officers used to terrorizing innocent citizens to stop this trend. It would really be a good thing if they executed their duties lawfully,” he said.
Senator Okiya Omtatah of Busia County, who visited the hospital, condemned what he termed as police brutality during the demonstrations.
“We’re at KNH with Jonah Kariuki, whose son Boniface Mwangi Kariuki was brutally shot by a rogue police force at close range while hawking face masks along Moi Avenue,” said Omtatah.
“Boniface is alive but fighting for his life. We pray for a speedy recovery and regret the lawlessness sanctioned and sponsored by rogue state agents. Justice be our shield and defender.”
Eyewitness Edwin Kagiya, who vends alongside Boniface, recounted the harrowing moment of the shooting.
“We were doing business as usual. He was vending with me. Then a cop came, slapped him, and even though he raised his hands in surrender, he was shot,” said Kagiya.
He confirmed seeing Boniface alive at KNH and expressed frustration at the heavy-handedness of law enforcement.
“I would like to clarify that Mwangi is alive and we are praying for his quick recovery. He is very young and was just trying to fend for himself by selling masks while others were stealing. What we are seeing from officers in this country — disrupting young people conducting genuine business — is a huge mistake,” he said.
Boniface’s shooting adds to growing public outrage over what many are calling the escalating impunity by law enforcement in handling peaceful demonstrators and vulnerable citizens.
On Tuesday evening the National Police Service confirmed that a uniformed police officer captured on video assaulting and shooting Boniface along Nairobi’s Moi Avenue has been disarmed and arrested.
Police Spokesman Muchiri Nyagah confirmed that Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja ordered the immediate arrest and arraignment of the officer.
“Following this incident, the Inspector General of the National Police Service ordered the immediate arrest and arraignment of the officer involved. The said police officer has since been arrested,” Nyagah said in a statement to newsrooms.
Shocking footage recorded by protesters and widely shared on social media shows two armed officers confronting the man.
One strikes him in the back with the butt of a rifle, while the second officer slaps him across the face before shooting him at close range.
He collapses on the pavement as the officers walk away, prompting an outcry from horrified witnesses.