Identify man shot in protest, LSK's Faith Odhiambo tells government

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo has urged authorities to reveal the identity of a mask vendor who was shot by a police officer at close range during protests in Nairobi yesterday.

According to the National Police Service and the Health Director-General, the 22-year-old hawker is still in critical condition after undergoing surgery last night.

The LSK President insists that a full identification of the individual is essential in preventing a potential cover-up.

“The man had a name yesterday… today the name is different. We need to verify that information to ascertain that it’s the same person who was shot, or whether it’s somebody else,” she said, adding, “vigilance is very important so that we are not fed a story.”

The Standard has independently identified the victim to be Boniface Kariuki, a city hawker who sells chains but chose to supply face masks to protesters due to the high demand caused by the sting of tear gas deployed by police to disperse demonstrators yesterday. 

Further, the lawyer wants the officer involved in the incident to be held personally liable for using lethal force against an unarmed protester, adding that the boss who issued the orders should equally bear command responsibility and accountability.

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“I would exonerate the Inspector General of Police based on how tough he acts on this particular matter. If he cracks the whip, then we’ll have some semblance of belief that those were not orders given to kill,” said Odhiambo. 

“The information we have from the doctors is that there were several gunshot wounds. It’s just that this individual was shot at a direct range and people got a video of the same,” she added.

Mayhem and chaos rocked Nairobi’s city centre on Tuesday after goons on motorcycles descended on peaceful protesters and journalists, with crude weapons including wooden clubs and whips.

The rowdy youth who have since been linked to politicians also mugged pedestrians and looted shops.

The LSK President warned against using criminal gangs to stifle dissent, and instead urged the government to devise means for dialogue with Kenyans and to guarantee free expression.

“Using vigilante groups will not resolve the problems. You are just making things worse. When you have these uprisings all over the country, how many vigilante groups can you pay to go to the streets? It is ridiculous and unfortunate that with all the state machinery this is the best they can do,” she averred.

Additionally, she questioned the continued silence of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) despite glaring police atrocities from the protests meant to demand justice for Albert Ojwang, who was killed on June 7, while in police custody.

She also criticised the Authority for being absent from the venues of the protests to document the faults in decisions by armed police officers.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) reported 22 casualties during Tuesday's protests across Nairobi, Mombasa, Kilifi, and Kwale.

The injuries included gunshot wounds, head cuts, whip lashes, blunt trauma, and asthma attacks from inhalation of tear gas.

“This is unacceptable behaviour from the police who are required to discharge their duty professionally and provide security for all persons in Kenya without favour or bias,” the Commission said in a statement.