Dead mask vendor Boniface Kariuki’s mother, Susan Njeri, clearly remembers the phone call that came last Friday—doctors at Kenyatta National Hospital asked her to bring her children to Nairobi to say goodbye.
“They told us to come for ‘closure’. Three of Kariuki’s siblings were allowed in the ward after counselling, but the youngest, who is just seven and in Grade 2 was not. They were told to speak to him, to say whatever they wanted. That’s when I knew my son was dying,” Ms Njeri recalls in an interview.
Kariuki, 22, had been in the intensive care unit of the hospital after being shot at close range by a police officer during protests in Nairobi on June 17.
He was declared brain-dead on Sunday and a day later he was dead.
“I first heard it (that he was dead) from an anonymous caller,” Ms Njeri says quietly. “They told me Boni was dead. I fainted.”
In Nduni village, Murang’a County, grief hangs over the Kariuki home like a fog.
The air is heavy, and the occasional swish of a slasher through overgrown bushes stands out. A few relatives move quietly, clearing the compound in case someone drops by with help or condolences.
Mr Kimotho Kamau, seated quietly in a plastic chair set out for mourners, said the family is not just mourning, they are overwhelmed.
Ms Njeri says Kariuki had big dreams.
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.
“He always said he’d build us a house, bring us electricity and educate his sisters,” she says.
Her second-born daughter is 19 and she also has twin girls—one of whom recently completed Form Four and is living with a relative as Susan tries to raise funds to enrol her in a hairdressing course. Her voice hardens when the subject turns to justice.
“The officer who shot my son has been charged and is due in court on July 3. But I don’t believe this case will go anywhere,” she says. “The President recently said he doesn’t want his police officers disturbed. That gives them the freedom to do what they want. This is not justice.”
While denying the charges, the police officer told the court that he had used a rubber bullet.
“Eyewitnesses saw cartridges on the ground. They believe he used live bullets,” Ms Njeri says.
Susan Njeri (left) and John Kariuki (right), parents of Boniface Kariuki, with friends and relatives at Kenyatta National Hospital on June 21, 2025.
Adding to the tragedy, the family has also become a target for fraudsters. Kariuki’s father was conned out of Sh200,000 by individuals posing as Social Health Authority officials, promising to help pay the hospital bill.
He was duped again, losing Sh28,000 to people pretending to sell mobile phones.
Yesterday, Murang’a County leaders met with the family. Led by Murang’a Woman Rep Betty Maina, Kangema MP Peter Kihungi and Maragua MP Mary Wamaua, they offered their condolences and presented a donation of Sh1 million by President William Ruto. They added that the bill incurred at KNH had been cleared.
The leaders also called for justice for Kariuki and committed to getting friends together to construct a home and rental units for Kariuki’s parents to help them earn a living.
According to the family, Kariuki will be buried next week on Friday 11 in Karirau village.
Separately, the family of teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang held a memorial yesterday at Ridgeways Baptist Church in Nairobi.
Relatives condole with Susan Njeri (second left), the mother of Nairobi mask hawker Boniface Kariuki, at her home in Nduune village, Murang'a County, on July 1, 2025. Kariuki who was hospitalised after being shot by police died on Monday.
His father, Meshack Opiyo, said his family was still grieving.
“May the killers of my son know no peace. Blood can bring torment. Only the blood of Jesus brings blessing. But innocent blood spilled on this earth brings suffering,” Mr Opiyo said.
Ojwang was arrested at his father’s home in Kakothi village in Homa Bay on June 7 and transported to Nairobi. He was interrogated at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations before being transferred to the Central Police Station, where he was killed.
He was picked up following allegations that he had made defamatory remarks against Deputy Inspector-General of Police Eliud Lagat.
Ojwang’s mother, Eucabeth Adhiambo, yesterday recalled the day the police officers arrived at her home and arrested her son.
“Ojwang panicked when the police came to his father’s compound. At the time, he told his father that he had done nothing wrong ... I’m saddened that the police took my son from our home and killed him. I’m now carrying a corpse back home,” she said.
Ojwang’s widow, Nevnina Onyango, said: “He has been my everything. He has been an amazing person in my life and he made me courageous. Albert left at a time when I didn’t expect that he would leave. But it was God’s timing. And us as human beings, we can’t do anything about it,” she said.
Additional reporting by Martin Mwaura
