Editor's Review

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has approved murder charges against police constable Klinzy Barasa Masinde, accused of shooting and killing a mask vendor, Boniface Kariuki, during recent protests in Nairobi.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has approved murder charges against police constable Klinzy Barasa Masinde, accused of shooting and killing a mask vendor, Boniface Kariuki, during recent protests in Nairobi.

In a statement on Thursday, July 10, the DPP noted that Masinde appeared before Justice Kanyi Kimondo at the Milimani High Court, where the judge directed that he be remanded at Nairobi Remand Prison and undergo mental assessment.

The statement further informed us that Constable Klinzy was scheduled to return to court on July 28 to take a plea.

Meanwhile, his colleague, Kiprono, was released after the DPP confirmed that no murder charges would be brought against him.

Masinde is alleged to have shot Kariuki on June 17 on the streets of the Central Business District (CBD) in Nairobi. The victim later died at Kenyatta National Hospital.

Kariuki was shot during protests over the death of blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang while in police custody.

Video footage from the scene showed two police officers manhandling Kariuki before one shot the unarmed vendor at close range.

Police officers manhandling Boniface Kariuki 

Kariuki remained on life support for nearly two weeks before doctors informed his family that his heart was still beating, but his brain had ceased functioning.

The incident, which was captured on camera, triggered public outcry and renewed accusations of excessive force by police during demonstrations.

Kariuki’s shooting drew widespread condemnation from human rights defenders and the public, because he was unarmed and the protest itself was against the very police brutality that claimed his life.

Meanwhile, preparations for Kariuki’s burial are underway. The requiem mass was held on Wednesday at the Holy Family Basilica in Nairobi ahead of his interment in his rural home in Kangema, Murang’a County.