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Shot During 2025 Gen Z Protests

Boniface Mwangi Kariuki (c. 2003–2025), a face-mask vendor in Nairobi, became a prominent symbol of alleged police brutality after being shot at close range during Gen Z-led protests over the death of blogger Albert Ojwang.

📅 Incident Overview

Date Shot: June 17, 2025
Place: Moi Avenue, Nairobi CBD
Incident Details: Kariuki was selling face masks near protest activity and was not participating in demonstrations.Amid a crackdown, a police officer reportedly shot him in the head at point-blank range. He was captured on video and remained on life support at Kenyatta National Hospital.

Date of Death: June 30, 2025

 Doctors declared him brain-dead; he later passed away.

⚖️ Legal Action & Response

Arrests: Police Constable Klinzy Masinde Barasa was arrested and charged with murder; another officer (Duncan Kiprono) was initially detained but released due to insufficient evidence.

Government Response: Health CS Aden Duale announced that KNH medical bills, including over KSh 800,000 for Kariuki, would be waived.

Public & Civil Society Reaction: Murang’a County leaders and civil society strongly condemned the shooting as an egregious misuse of force. ICJ-Kenya and KNCHR called for an independent investigation into the incident.

🕊️ Legacy & Commemoration

Kariuki’s funeral was held on July 11, 2025, in Kangema, drawing hundreds of mourners and becoming a flashpoint for renewed protests.

Youth activists launched the #MaskFriday campaign to honor him, calling on police restraint and justice for protest victims.

His death reignited nationwide outrage and broadened calls for police reform and accountability.

📊 Summary Table

Attribute	Details
Age	Approximately 22 years old
Role	Mask vendor, bystander (not a demonstrator)
Cause of Death	Gunshot to the head by police during protest
Legal Status	Murder charges filed; court proceedings ongoing
Commemoration	Funeral in Kangema with thousands in attendance; youth activism

Tribute

🕊️ To Boniface Mwangi Kariuki ,

Dear Boniface,

You didn’t ask to be a hero. You were just a young man — 22, full of quiet dreams — standing on the streets of Nairobi, doing what you could to survive. Selling masks to strangers. Earning an honest living with dignity, even when the world gave you so little.

And yet, in a single moment, everything changed.

They didn’t see your kindness. They didn’t see your struggle. They didn’t stop to ask who you were — a son, a brother, a friend. They raised a gun. And pulled the trigger.

You weren’t protesting. You weren’t throwing stones. You were simply… there. And still, they made you a target.

The shot didn’t just tear through you, Boniface — it tore through us all.

As you lay on that hospital bed, machines keeping your body alive while your spirit drifted further away, Kenya held its breath. We hoped. We prayed. But on June 30, you let go — and a part of us went with you.

Boniface, we are sorry. Sorry that your country failed you. Sorry that justice came too late, and peace never came at all.

But please know this: you are not forgotten.

Your name is spoken in chants and vigils. Your photo is carried in marches. Your story has lit a fire that cannot be put out.

Because of you, the youth are rising. Because of you, there is anger, and sorrow, and power. Because of you, we are remembering how sacred every single life is.

You should have lived. You should have laughed more. You should have gone home that night. And yet, now you live in all of us — a quiet hero, a symbol of a broken system, a reminder of why we must fight.

Rest now, Boniface. May your spirit find the peace this world could not give you. And may we carry your name forward — with justice, with love, with truth.

🖤 Forever remembered. Forever loved. Forever Boniface.

Boniface Kariuki