Police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga has described the brazen shooting of mask hawker Boniface Kariuki in the head as heart-wrenching.
Speaking during a live TV show on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, Nyaga said that the incident was unfortunate and is not representative of the entire police service.
“From where I sit, even seeing that clip was heart-wrenching. We accept and acknowledge that within our ranks we have gotten it wrong multiple times,” Nyaga stated.
“An act of one of us should not in any way be a reflection of the whole organisation. That would not be me, for instance.”
Police visit Kariuki’s home
The remark comes just a day after the Central Region Police Commander, Samuel Ndanyi, visited Kariuki’s home in Murang’a to convey apologies from the police service to the family.
Kariuki was confronted by two police officers during the protests of June 17, 2025, roughed up and shot in the head at close range along Moi Avenue, and left bleeding on the street as the officers casually walked away.
Two police officers, Klinzy Barasa and Duncan Kiprono, have since been arrested and detained in connection with the incident, which added to the growing acts of police brutality.
Kariuki is currently fighting for his life at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), where he was operated on to remove a bullet lodged in his brain.
Father conned
Jonah Kariuki, the father of Kariuki, has fallen victim to fraudsters posing as officials from the Social Health Authority (SHA).
Speaking during a press conference at KNH on June 21, 2025, he stated that the scammers approached him with false promises of assisting with hospital bills and registering his family under the SHA programme.
“It was someone who told me he’s from SHA. He asked that I send him Ksh20,500 to help me reduce the hospital bill, but the person I tasked to do the transaction mistakenly sent Ksh200,500,” he said.
Influencers had launched an online crowdfunding campaign to help the family clear the hospital bill. The senior, Kariuki, said he was yet to seek help from the service provider to have the money reversed.
“I had gone to Safaricom, but I did not get in because I was required to be here (at KNH), but I have taken an OB, so I will return to have them give me the statement,” he said.
A lawyer representing the family said the hospital bill is in the region of one million shillings.
