Police Officer Charged With Murder of Nairobi Mask Vendor Boniface Kariuki

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Renson Igonga has formally charged Police Constable Klinzy Masinde Baraza with the murder of Boniface Kariuki Mwangi, a street vendor who was shot during protests in Nairobi CBD on June 17, 2025.

According to the DPP, investigations and compiled evidence have confirmed Baraza’s involvement in the fatal shooting that was widely captured on video and circulated online. Kariuki, who sold face masks outside Imenti House, was unarmed at the time of the incident.

The footage showed a police officer believed to be Baraza advancing toward a group of demonstrators on Mondlane Street and firing a shot. Kariuki fell to the ground. Another officer then struck him with a firearm before Baraza allegedly delivered a fatal shot to Kariuki’s head at close range.

The victim was initially taken to Bliss Medical Center, where he received first aid before being transferred to Kenyatta National Hospital. He succumbed to his injuries in the Intensive Care Unit on June 30 at 3:15 p.m., nearly two weeks after the shooting.

Baraza was arrested alongside his colleague, Duncan Kiprono, who appeared in the same footage. However, Kiprono has now been released, with the DPP citing insufficient evidence linking him directly to the shooting.

The arrest and subsequent arraignment of the officers followed mounting public outrage and condemnation from human rights activists who decried the blatant use of excessive force on peaceful protesters.

On June 19, Baraza and Kiprono were presented before the Milimani Law Courts. The judge granted a joint request by the prosecution and defense to detain the officers for 15 days pending further investigations by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA).

Both officers were attached to Kileleshwa Police Station and had been deployed to the city center during the protest, which was part of a larger demonstration against police brutality and government impunity.

Boniface Kariuki’s funeral is scheduled to take place at his family’s rural home in Kangema, Murang’a County. A requiem mass was held in his honor on Wednesday at the Holy Family Basilica in Nairobi.

His death continues to fuel the national conversation about police accountability and the need for justice for victims of extrajudicial killings in Kenya.

In other news:Govt Suspends Sugar Milling in Western Kenya Over Cane Shortage

Police Officer Charged With Murder of Nairobi Mask Vendor Boniface Kariuki