Police Officer Charged With Murder of Nairobi Mask Vendor Boniface Kariuki
A police officer, Constable Klinzy Masinde Baraza, has officially been charged with the murder of Boniface Mwangi Kariuki, a face mask vendor who was shot during protests in Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD) on June 17, 2025.
The charges were brought forward by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Renson Ingonga, after a thorough investigation confirmed the involvement of Baraza in the fatal shooting.
According to the DPP, enough evidence has been gathered to support the murder charge against Baraza. The officer is accused of shooting Kariuki during demonstrations that were taking place near Imenti House, along Mondlane Street.
The tragic shooting occurred while the protests were calling out police brutality — the very issue that would take Kariuki’s life. He is expected to be buried later this week.
However, Baraza’s fellow officer and co-accused, Duncan Kiprono, who was seen with him during the incident and appeared in the same footage, has been released and will not face charges.
Video recordings of the confrontation — analyzed by Newshub.co.ke — show a uniformed officer, believed to be Baraza, running toward a crowd of protesters and firing the first shot.
Kariuki is seen collapsing onto the ground, and then another officer walks up and hits him with the butt of his gun.
Moments later, the first officer fires another bullet, this time directly at Kariuki’s head from a close distance.
The shocking footage shows Kariuki lying motionless and bleeding on the pavement as horrified protesters rush to help him.
He was initially taken to Bliss Medical Center, where he received urgent first aid treatment while waiting for an ambulance.
He was later transferred to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) for further treatment. Despite efforts to save him, Kariuki remained in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for nearly two weeks before passing away at 3:15 PM on Monday, June 30, 2025.
His death has triggered widespread outrage across the country. Human rights organizations, civil society activists, and members of the public condemned the shooting, especially because Kariuki was unarmed and not participating in any violent activity.
Many were angered by the fact that the protest he was attending was meant to highlight cases of excessive force and brutality by police officers.
Baraza and Kiprono were arrested shortly after the incident. On June 19, the two appeared before the Milimani Law Courts, where the judge approved a joint request by both the prosecution and defence teams to detain them for 15 days.
This gave the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) time to carry out detailed investigations into the case.
Both officers were attached to the Kileleshwa Police Station in Nairobi and had been deployed to manage the protests on the day of the incident. The protest, however, turned chaotic and violent — with Kariuki becoming one of its most tragic victims.
Boniface Kariuki will be laid to rest in his ancestral home in Kangema, Murang’a County. A requiem mass in his honour was held at the Holy Family Basilica in Nairobi on Wednesday, where family, friends, and activists gathered to remember his life and demand justice for his death.
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