Boniface Kariuki: Nairobi hawker who was shot in the head by police is 'brain dead'
Face mask vendor Boniface Kariuki is rushed to hospital by protesters after he was shot by a police officer in Nairobi on June 17, 2025.
What you need to know:
- Kariuki has undergone two surgeries at Kenyatta National Hospital where he is admitted in ICU.
- His father, Jonah Kariuki, appealed to the State to help the family settle his son’s hospital.
Boniface Kariuki, the hawker who was shot by police in the head in Nairobi during protests on June 17, 2025, is brain dead, the family has said.
“We received a call around 1247h on Sunday. His brain stem is completely dead,” family spokesperson Emily Wanjira said on Sunday.
Kariuki, a mask vendor, was shot in the head at point-blank range by a police officer during the protests that turned violent as the protesters engaged police officers in day-long running battles.
Face mask vendor Boniface Kariuki is rushed to hospital by protesters after he was shot by a police officer in Nairobi on June 17, 2025.
The demonstration was part of a growing call for justice for Albert Ojwang, the teacher and blogger who was taken from his home in Homa Bay and killed in police custody in Nairobi.
“The only fear we have now is when the heart will stop,” Ms Wanjira said. “The only thing we need is justice for our child.”
Kariuki has undergone two surgeries at Kenyatta National Hospital where he is admitted in ICU.
His father, Jonah Kariuki, appealed to the State to help the family settle his son’s hospital bill.
“Tunaomba tusaidiwe na hiyo bill (We are asking for help to settle the bill),” the distraught father said.
Ms Wanjira said on Thursday, the family was told that a fragment of the bullet was still lodged in Kariuki’s brain.
“They called it a special bullet. That when fired, it (the bullet) goes thrice. We were told so during Thursday's briefing. The doctors have been doing their best,” she said, explaining that Kariuki was shot by a 12-gauge shot gun.
A 12-gauge shotgun, for context, is a type of firearm designed to fire shells that contain multiple small pellets (called shot) or a single slug, commonly used for hunting, sport shooting, and law enforcement.
The "12-gauge" refers to the bore size, meaning the barrel diameter is such that 12 lead balls of that diameter would weigh one pound.