The family of Boniface Kariuki, a 22-year-old mask vendor shot by Police Constable Kilinzy Barasa on Tuesday 17th June, has expressed deep concerns over his prolonged recovery and unresponsiveness to treatment.
They fear he may never regain his full health due to severe brain damage from bullet fragments, which necessitated two surgeries.
“From where we are seated, Boniface cannot talk, and we don’t expect his life to get back to where it was,” a family spokesperson stated grimly. “We have visited him, and we can see that he is not responding; he is just there. The situation he was in is still the situation he is in.”
Boniface’s father, Jonah Kariuki, echoed these worries, expressing his profound sadness. “Right now, I am very sad, I feel very bad because my son is still critically ill. I’d like them to return my son well, and the way he was,” he pleaded.
This distressing update comes shortly after Jonah Kariuki was reportedly scammed out of Ksh 200,000 by individuals impersonating “SHA officials.”
The family’s lawyer revealed that no government official has contacted them regarding the incident. Efforts to report the case at the Central Police Station have also been futile.
“The family is yet to file a complaint with the police; they went to the Central Police Station to see those officials, but nothing went through,” the lawyer explained. “The government has also not contacted them, nor offered any type of assistance.”
Meanwhile, the hospital bill for Boniface’s treatment has already reached Ksh 1 million, an amount the family anticipates will continue to rise significantly given his condition.
