Police constable Klinzy Barasa captured shooting deceased mask vendor Boniface Kariuki to be charged with murder. Photo: Snippet from video.
Mask hawker Boniface Kariuki, 22-year-old shot on the head at close point blank range by police officer during Tuesday Protests along Moi Avenue in Nairobi, remains in a critical condition and dependent on life support machine.
According to the family spokesperson Emily Wanjira, she described Kariuki’s situation as dire, after a briefing from the doctor attending to Kariuki at Kenyatta National Hospital.
“To be honest, he cannot survive without life support. He cannot talk, he cannot see us,” Wanjira said.
Kariuki’s family further revealed during a presser on Monday, that the hospital bill has risen to KSh 2.3 million, with bullet residues still lodged in his skull, that poses a further health risk.
Last week, Kariuki underwent two surgeries, the doctors stating confirming that the second surgery was a high-risk operation, which was aimed at removing the remaining bullet fragments from his head. The high risk surgery lasted 4 hours. as neurosurgeons moving with time to save his life.
He remains in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), under close observation by the doctors, and depending on the machines to breath.
Kariuki was among the 16 patients received by the hospital with gunshot wounds, lashes whip, blunt trauma and asthma attacks after inhaling teargas following the protests demanding justice for X blogger Albert Ojwang’ killed at Central Police Station Nairobi.
His case brought a mass public outrage on the increased cases of police brutality in the country, and excessive use of force by police on unarmed protesters.
However, the National Police Service (NPS) on Wednesday 18, identified and interdicted the two officers captured shooting Kariuki, after cornering him with beatings.
The two officers identified were identified as Constables Klinzy Barasa Masinde and Duncan Kiprono, before Barasa pulled the rigger and shot him on the head and walked away leaving him for death. The two officers were arraigned and detained to allow investigations to conclude.
