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= Bridget Njoki: Tragic Death and Legal Proceedings =

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== Background ==
[[File:Bidget-burial4.jpeg|thumb|Bridget's pic]]
On July 7, 2025, during the Saba Saba protests in Kiambu County, 12-year-old Bridget Njoki was fatally shot while watching television in her family's home in Ndumberi village. Despite the family's residence being approximately two kilometers from the main protest route, a stray bullet pierced the roof and struck Bridget in the head. She was rushed to St. Brigid's Hospital but was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. Her death has drawn widespread condemnation and calls for justice from various sectors of Kenyan society. [https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/national/article/2001523744/tears-and-outrage-in-kiambu-as-six-shot-dead-during-saba-saba-protests] [https://peopledaily.digital/news/kiambu-12-year-old-student-shot-dead-as-she-watches-tv]

[[File:Bridget-burial3.jpeg|thumb| Schoolmates comforting each other at the funeral]]

[[File:Bridget-burial5.jpeg |thumb|Ndumberi community and schoolmates comforting each other at the funeral]]

[[File:Bridget burial 4.jpeg|thumb|Schoolmates comforting each other at the funeral]]

== Legal Proceedings ==
As of July 2025, there have been no public reports of formal charges or legal actions taken against the officers involved in Bridget Njoki's death. The incident remains under investigation by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), but no updates have been provided regarding the progress or outcomes of the investigation.

== Public Reaction ==
The killing of Bridget Njoki has drawn widespread condemnation from various sectors of Kenyan society. Human rights organizations have criticized the excessive use of force by police during the protests, highlighting the vulnerability of children caught in such situations. The incident has reignited debates about police accountability and the need for reforms in law enforcement practices to prevent similar tragedies in the future. [https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2025-07-08-saba-saba-deaths-ijm-demands-full-accountability] [https://eastleighvoice.co.ke/national/176615/unicef-condemns-killing-of-12-year-old-bridgit-njoki-in-saba-saba-protests]

== Messages from the Family ==
Bridget’s parents have expressed profound grief and heartbreak over the loss of their daughter. Her mother said, "Bridget was my sunshine; she was full of life and dreams. To lose her like this, in a place that should have been safe, breaks my heart beyond words." Her father added, "No parent should have to bury their child. We demand justice for Bridget and all children who suffer from violence that should never have happened."

"Twelve years seem like a day, and, Bridgit, you will forever be 12 years old. I thought you would grow and be a beautiful woman from the girl you were, but that bullet has shattered my dreams; the doctor you would have become, the accountant you would have become will never be a reality because you will forever be 12 years old," Njoki's mother said.

== Timeline Summary ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Date !! Event
|-
| July 7, 2025 || Bridget Njoki shot while watching television at home during Saba Saba protests
|-
| July 2025 || Public outcry and calls for justice following Bridget's death
|-
| July 2025 || Ongoing investigation by IPOA; no formal charges reported
|}

== ⚠️  Government Reactions to suppress anti government protests in 2025 (When Bridgets Njoki death occured)  ==

During the 2025 anti-government protests in Kenya (When Bridgits Njoki death occured), several top political figures made public statements authorizing or encouraging police to use live fire against civilians. These remarks drew national and international attention.

=== President William Ruto – “Shoot in the Leg” Directive ===
On '''July 9, 2025''', President William Ruto instructed police to incapacitate protesters rather than kill them:

<blockquote>
"Anyone who goes to burn other people’s property … should be shot in the leg … They shouldn’t kill the person but they should hit the legs to break them."
</blockquote>

<blockquote>“…The police are trained to deal with criminals. They are not trained in parenting. So if you surrender your children to the police, what do you expect? No, please, every parent, including me, I take time to parent my children. And so must everybody. AIC Bomani, Machakos, 20 July 2025”
</blockquote>

* [https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/kenyas-president-orders-police-shoot-violent-protesters-leg-2025-07-09/ Reuters – Ruto's shoot-in-the-leg directive]
* [https://apnews.com/article/32e6d45031b45fc2e146a1cf72339a67 AP – Ruto reiterates shoot-in-the-leg order]

=== Belgut MP Nelson Koech – “Shoot to Kill” ===
A day after Ruto’s statement, Belgut MP and Defence Committee Chair '''Nelson Koech''' publicly pushed for more lethal force:

<blockquote>
"I want to thank President Ruto for saying… shoot but do not kill. I disagree with him. In fact, shoot and kill."
</blockquote>

* [https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2025-07-10-mp-koech-urges-shoot-to-kill-order-on-violent-protesters The Star – MP Koech urges shoot-to-kill]

=== CS Kipchumba Murkomen – “Shoot Them” at Police Stations ===
In '''late June 2025''', Cabinet Secretary for the Interior and National Administration '''Kipchumba Murkomen''' stated:

<blockquote>
“Na tumeambia polisi mtu yeyote atakaribia police station piga yeye risasi.”
(“And we have told the police: anyone who approaches a police station—shoot them.”) 
</blockquote>

Although he later clarified he was quoting Schedule 6 of the Police Act, civil rights groups filed lawsuits citing constitutional violations.
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zWoUCotCEo&t=44s - Shoot to kill by Cabinet Secretary for the Interior and National Administration]
* [https://www.citizen.digital/news/cs-murkomen-clarifies-shoot-to-kill-order-amid-public-uproar-n365397 Citizen Digital – Murkomen clarifies order]
* [https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2025-07-02-rights-groups-sue-murkomen-over-shoot-to-kill-remarks The Star – Rights groups sue Murkomen]

== Tribute == 

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'''🕊️ To Bridget Njoki,'''
<br>

You were only a child.
Bright-eyed, full of promise, walking with innocence and dreams bigger than your years.

You had no shield but your smile, no armor but your hope.
And yet, the world answered you with violence.

You did not ask for war.
You believed in a Kenya that listens — that protects its future.

But your laughter was silenced too soon, and your light stolen in a moment of injustice we cannot accept.

Bridget, we weep for you. But more than that — we rise for you.
Because no child should fall for simply being present.
No parent should bury their daughter because she believed in her country.

You are not forgotten.
Your name is now part of a greater cry for justice that will never fade.

We march with your memory.
We fight with your name on our lips.
And we demand a Kenya that will never again allow its children to die unheard.

🕊️ Rest in power, Bridget.
Your voice lives on in ours. 🖤
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== References ==
<references />
* [https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/national/article/2001523744/tears-and-outrage-in-kiambu-as-six-shot-dead-during-saba-saba-protests Tears and outrage in Kiambu as six shot dead during Saba Saba protests - The Standard]
* [https://peopledaily.digital/news/kiambu-12-year-old-student-shot-dead-as-she-watches-tv Kiambu 12-year-old student shot dead as she watches TV - People Daily]
* [https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2025-07-08-saba-saba-deaths-ijm-demands-full-accountability IJM condemns rising human rights abuses after Saba Saba protest deaths - The Star]
* [https://eastleighvoice.co.ke/national/176615/unicef-condemns-killing-of-12-year-old-bridgit-njoki-in-saba-saba-protests UNICEF demands children’s protection after Bridgit Njoki, 12, killed in Saba Saba protests - Eastleigh Voice]