The International Commission of Jurists – Kenya Section (ICJ Kenya) has strongly condemned the brutal shooting of 22-year-old Boniface Kariuki, a mask vendor who was gunned down during Tuesday’s protests in Nairobi’s Central Business District. The demonstrations were held to demand justice for Albert Omondi Ojwang, a youth who died under questionable circumstances while in police custody last week.
In a fiery statement released on Wednesday, ICJ Kenya described Kariuki’s shooting as a “damning indictment” of the country’s security apparatus, calling it evidence of a “police system that has become untethered from public service, public trust and the Constitution.”
“Boniface is not a threat to the Republic. He is not armed. He is not a criminal,” said ICJ Kenya Chairperson Protas Saende. “His only offence was existing in a system where law enforcement is increasingly divorced from the law itself.”
Eyewitnesses say Kariuki was beaten and shot by an anti-riot officer while vending surgical masks near Tom Mboya Street, an area gripped by protest activity. He is currently admitted to Kenyatta National Hospital in critical condition after undergoing emergency surgery.
“That he was shot while peacefully vending in the very moment citizens were exercising their constitutional right to protest against state brutality is not just tragic—it is terrifying,” ICJ Kenya stated.
