Charles Owino: Rogue cop who shot mask vendor is a rookie

Former police spokesperson Charles Owino has said that the officer who shot 22-year-old face mask vendor Boniface Kariuki during protests in Nairobi is only 24 years old and has served in the force for less than two years.

“You see that boy who shot the young man? Even that one is very young. If I look at his number, he has not even worked for two years,” Owino said in an interview with a local TV station on Moday, June 30, 2025.

“There are certain ages you may not want to give a firearm. I’m sure he was not given a firearm, he was given a rubber bullet, but still he misused it,” he added.

“Not everybody is given a firearm. In every group of 32, only four have firearms, and they are usually under an older sergeant who moves with them and guides them.” Owino noted, explaining how police handle riot situations.

Order breaks amid chaos

But in the chaos of protests, he said, this structure often breaks down.

“So such a young boy, 24 years old, you abuse him, you know what may happen,” he added. “I’ve not said it’s provocation, but these things happen. He was not given live bullets, just a rubber bullet. It’s only that he hit that boy at a very close range.”

The officer’s inexperience, Owino suggested, may have played a role in the fatal error.

“You can’t transfer your personal anger into causing everyone a problem,” he said. “As a country, we must agree to also look at our own discipline, not just blame the police.”

Boniface Kariuki, who was shot on June 17 while selling face masks near the protests, has since been declared brain dead. The officer responsible has since been arrested, and investigations by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) are ongoing.