Charles Owino, a former police spokesperson, has sparked public outrage after suggesting that hawker Boniface Mwangi Kariuki may have provoked the police officer who shot him by hurling insults.
Kariuki, twenty-three, was shot in the head on June 17 during anti-police brutality protests in Nairobi’s Central Business District. He was unarmed. He is now brain dead, according to his family.
Speaking to Citizen TV on Monday, Owino claimed that video footage from the day shows Kariuki verbally abusing the officer.
“It was a very simple exchange,” Owino said. “If you listen closely to that clip, you’ll hear that boy abusing the policeman. But you are an officer, you must have restraint and shoot him with a rubber bullet. You can see what it has caused the image of the police so far.”
Despite condemning the shooting, Owino appeared to sympathise with the officer, citing youth and inexperience as possible factors behind the fatal decision.
“Such a young boy… If you abuse him, you know what may happen,” he added.
Kariuki was shot during nationwide protests largely driven by Kenya’s youth, many of whom feel betrayed by the state. The demonstrations, led by Gen Z, were sparked by a controversial finance bill but grew into a broader demand for dignity, justice, and police reform.
A Shot, A Family’s Pain
Kariuki’s family confirmed on Sunday that doctors at Kenyatta National Hospital had declared him brain dead, though his organs were still functioning.
“Mwangi is confirmed brain dead. We know what it means,” said family spokesperson Emily Wanjira. “We are just waiting for the doctor to tell us he is no more.”
The family also revealed that bullet fragments remained lodged in his brain, further complicating treatment.
The Officers Involved
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) is now investigating the conduct of the two officers involved Klinzy Baraza Masinde and Duncan Kiprono. Both have been interdicted and are currently in custody.
The incident occurred along Mondlane Street in the heart of the city. Witnesses say Kariuki had joined in chants demanding police accountability when officers confronted him. Moments later, he was on the ground, blood pouring from his head.
Shoot-On-Sight Orders
Owino’s comments come in the wake of controversial instructions from Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport Kipchumba Murkomen. Last week, the minister called the Gen Z protests an “attempted coup” and told police to shoot anyone approaching a police station without hesitation.
“The minister can only give instructions to the IG in writing and on matters of policy,” Owino noted. “But it reaches a point where a minister is seen to be incapacitated by the actions of people.”
Legal experts have since questioned the legitimacy of Murkomen’s remarks, with many warning that such directives could escalate violence and violate both Kenyan and international law.
A Nation on Edge
Tensions remain high. Human rights groups have condemned what they describe as a pattern of excessive force by the police. Amnesty International Kenya has called for the officers to be held accountable and for the government to reconsider its policing policies.
The story of Boniface Kariuki, now brain dead, has become a symbol of a larger, more painful truth a state struggling to listen to its youngest citizens, and a police force too often armed with bullets instead of understanding.
