A student of Laikipia University who died during Monday, March 23 demonstrations was shot.

An autopsy conducted on Wednesday, March 25 has revealed that the 19-year-old first year student pursuing Bachelors of Education in Science had a single gunshot wound on the chest going through the heart and exiting at the back.

The pathological report indicates that Ian Kiplangat Mutai was struck by a single bullet that entered through his chest and existed through his back.

Government Pathologist Dr. Wangari Wambugu — who conducted the autopsy alongside DCI officers, IPOA, Family and friends — said the student suffered severe internal injuries, leading to excessive bleeding which ultimately caused his death.

“We did a full postmortem examination and we found that he had a single gunshot wound to the chest. The bullet went through the middle of the chest and exited at the back. Along that path it went through the heart and a major blood vessel – the aorta and also pulmonary artery,” said Dr. Wangari.

Kiplangat’s sudden death was occasioned by the the unrest from students who were protesting over alleged poor management by the university administration.

The tension escalated following the death of a first year media student, Hillary Vulimu, who tragically slipped and fell at the Subukia Escarpment last Friday while accompanied by fellow students in a mountain hiking event.

According to students, before the passing of Vulimu, his friends desperately tried to engage the university ambulance services for emergency support but were informed that the ambulance was not available during holidays.

They then desperately begged a bobaboda rider to rush him to a nearby dispensary, Micheal Nursing Home in Subukia town, for treatment after it was clear that the university ambulance was not available. He was immediately referred to Nyahururu County Referral Hospital, where he passed on.

On Saturday the students took to the streets to protest the death, forcing the university administration to call for an urgent meeting on Monday 23rd March 2026 with the students to address their concerns.

However, the students did not attend the meeting faulting the manner and intentions of the meeting, instead they again took to the streets in protest, barricading sections of the Nyahururu-Nakuru Highway leading to intervention by the anti-riot police officers.

For the better part of the day it was a running battles between the police and students but tension escalated further in the evening as students clashed with the security officers who then resorted to harsher measures in effort to disperse the rowdy and growing crowds.

During the chaos, Ian Kiplangat was shot dead.