Father of shooting victim calls for Kenyan police to be held accountable

The father of a young man allegedly shot in the head by Kenyan police has called for the officer to be charged.

Boniface Kariuki, 22, remains in intensive care after undergoing surgery on Tuesday night. He is believed to have been caught up in a confrontation with two officers in Nairobi at a protest against the alleged killing of a blogger while in police custody.

One officer, who had concealed his face with a mask, reportedly shot him in the head.

Jonah Kariuki said the bullet pierced his son's skull just above the ear, but the surgery had been “successful” and “his heart was beating.”

"I would say that those police officers need to take responsibility because they also have children and the person they hurt is somebody's child, Jonah Kariuki told reporters on Wednesday. "That police officer has committed a crime and stern action should be taken against him."

'Rogue men'

In a statement, police said the officer had been arrested. But senator Okiya Omtatah said the problem of police violence goes beyond a single officer.

"There are so many people who were injured by police and injured by those goons. We need accountability for these people. We cannot live in a country like this. This country is called the Republic of Kenya, being a republic it means a country governed by law not governed by rogue men and so we are demanding that tomorrow's demonstrations be peaceful, be massive until we get accountability for all the excesses that have been unleashed upon us by the regime of [Kenyan President] William Ruto and his acolytes."

Tuesday's protests in the Kenyan capital followed the death of blogger Albert Ojwang who died while in police custody. Ojwang was arrested on June 6 in western Kenya for what police called publishing “false information” about a top police official on social media.

Police attributed his death to him “hitting his head against the cell wall,” something activists have questioned.

The judiciary in a statement on Wednesday vowed to “uphold justice” in all cases including those involving alleged police brutality.

The British Embassy in Kenya, in a statement on X, called for “a swift, independent & transparent investigation into the actions of the police.”

History of police violence

Kenya has a history of police brutality, and President William Ruto previously vowed to end it, along with extrajudicial killings.

Last year, several activists and protesters were abducted and killed by Kenyan police during the finance bill protests.

The demonstrations led to calls for Ruto's removal.