By Horn Africa News
Kenya — A wave of grief and outrage swept through Kangema, central Kenya, as hundreds of mourners gathered to bury 22-year-old hawker Boniface Kariuki, who was shot dead by police during a peaceful moment in a recent anti-brutality rally in Nairobi.
Kariuki, who sold face masks to earn a living, was not part of the protest when he was shot at close range by an officer in riot gear. The chilling moment was captured on video and widely circulated across social media, sparking national outrage. His coffin, draped in the Kenyan flag, bore a printed image of the moment just before he was shot.
Young men carry the coffin of Boniface Kariuki, a street hawker who died from gunshot wounds days after being shot by Kenyan police during nationwide protests against police violence and government policies, during his funeral in a village near Kangema on July 11, 2025. (AFP)
His mother collapsed in screams as her son’s white coffin was placed into a hearse for the journey back home. Villagers lined the roads to pay their respects while riot police stood at junctions, watching the subdued crowds.
“Our grief cannot be understood,” said his younger sister, Gladys Wangare, fighting back tears. “Life will never be the same again. Your place will remain empty.”
Kariuki’s friend and fellow hawker, Edwin Kagia, 24, described him as a kind, hardworking young man who was always joking. “I used to hear that police kill people, but I could not imagine it would happen to my brother,” he said.
Kariuki’s killing has become a national symbol of police brutality, a problem that has long plagued Kenya. Since June 2024, the country has been rocked by protests over proposed tax hikes, many of which have turned deadly. Rights groups say at least 50 people have been killed, mostly by police, during the unrest.
While President William Ruto has condemned the violence and promised accountability, his controversial remarks — telling police to shoot looters “in the leg” — have drawn criticism. Kariuki’s friend Kagia rebuked the president’s language, saying it further divides the nation. “The head of state uttering such statements de-filters the unity of the nation,” he said.
The country’s top prosecutor recently announced a murder charge against the officer involved in Kariuki’s killing. Yet many at the funeral remain skeptical that justice will be served.
“Whoever did all this, let him actually not know any peace on this earth,” said Emily Wanjira, a family spokesperson. “We are crying tears of bitterness.”
Kariuki’s death has not only broken the hearts of those who knew him — it has reignited calls for sweeping in a country where police violence remains an all-too-common reality.
