George Obienge, the father of Shaquille, a protester who was killed by a police bullet during the June 25, 2024, anti-government protests, has said that he believes his son was targeted after he identified a police officer who had shot dead his friend Charles Owino.
Speaking during an interview with one of the local TV stations on the night of Wednesday, June 25, 2025, Obienge said that his son died a hero.
He described his son as an introvert who liked reading much about history and government, and civic education.
Obienge narrated that from the photos and videos showing Shaquille’s last moments, his son was being chased by the police as they carried their friend, who had been shot, to the hospital.
Flagged down by police
According to him, Shaquille and his friends were flagged off by the police and were cornered for a second time, and on sensing danger, he knelt holding a Kenyan flag, but one of the officers could be seen still chasing and targeting him.
He further noted that one of the reasons his son was exterminated is because he identified the police officer who killed Charles Owino, another protester.
“Shaquille, from his humble beginning, liked reading about history and government, and civic education, and he was not too much of an extrovert; he was a bit of an introvert. I can say Shaquille died a hero because from the photos and videos that I saw, when he was being chased away, when one of his friends had been shot, and they were trying to carry him to the hospital, they were flagged off. They were cornered again, and he knelt with a flag. He was not carrying any stone, but that officer from the videos could be seen still chasing down Shaquille, and one of the reasons I think Shaquille was exterminated is because he identified the person who killed Charles Owino,” Obienge narrated.
He went ahead to say that whoever killed his son was going to feel the pain of a parent, noting that the wound that was left with him is hard to fill.
“What I can say is that blood is very strong. The protests that were in Kitengela today were because of Shaquille and Charles Owino. I mentioned some other time that his blood went to the ground, and we have had some rain. That rainwater must have mixed with the blood, and some people might have drunk it. Whoever shot my son, wherever he or she is, he or she is still going to feel the pain of a parent, because the wound that has been left is hard to fill,” he said.
Gen Z memorial protests
Kenyans across the country on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, took to the streets to commemorate the June 25, 2024, events that saw 60 people lose their lives.
The Gen Z memorial protests saw the government respond by switching off a section of the media outlet’s live signals.
