Man shot by Kenyan police during protests is in intensive care, father says
FILE PHOTO: A protester throws a projectile during a demonstration over the death of Kenyan blogger Albert Ojwang in police custody, in downtown Nairobi, Kenya June 17, 2025. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya/File photo
(Corrects to add dropped word "range" in first paragraph)
NAIROBI (Reuters) -A man shot at point blank range by a Kenyan police officer during protests in the capital Nairobi against extrajudicial killings by security forces is alive but in intensive care, his father said on Wednesday.
Protests broke out in Nairobi and Kenya's second-largest city, Mombasa, on Tuesday over the death of blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang in police custody on June 8.
A video posted on Kenyan broadcaster Citizen Television's X account on Tuesday showed two policemen repeatedly striking a man - subsequently identified as Boniface Kariuki - on the head before one of them fired at him with a long-barrelled gun as he tried to walk away.
Police said late on Tuesday an officer had been arrested in connection with the shooting.
On Wednesday, the victim's father Jonah Kariuki said the 22-year-old was in the intensive care unit at the government-funded Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi.
"He is on machine support," Kariuki said in a video posted on X by The Standard newspaper. "I have seen he has a heartbeat ... I have some hope."
A Reuters journalist saw the young man on the ground on Tuesday with a heavily bleeding head wound, his hand clutching a packet of face masks.
"He was selling masks, it's not that he is a criminal. I have never heard him steal," Kariuki said.
The death of 31-year-old blogger Ojwang stoked anger over long-standing accusations of extrajudicial killings by security forces in the east African country.
Police had initially attributed his death to suicide, but apologised after an independent autopsy found that his wounds were the result of assault.
President William Ruto, too, said Ojwang had died "at the hands of the police".
Human rights groups, the Law Society of Kenya and the judiciary have expressed concern at the increased incidents of alleged police brutality.
(Reporting by Vincent Mumo, Edwin Okoth and Humphrey Malalo; Writing by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Ammu Kannampilly and Alex Richardson)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
19 minutes ago
- The Star
Austrian government agrees on plan to allow monitoring of secure messaging
FILE PHOTO: A view of the Parliament building in Vienna, Austria, September 23, 2024. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/File photo VIENNA (Reuters) -Austria's coalition government has agreed on a plan to enable police to monitor suspects' secure messaging in order to thwart militant attacks, ending what security officials have said is a rare and dangerous blind spot for a European Union country. Because Austria lacks a legal framework for monitoring messaging services like WhatsApp, its main domestic intelligence service and police rely on allies with far more sweeping powers like Britain and the United States alerting them to chatter about planned attacks and spying. That kind of tip-off led to police unravelling what they say was a planned attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, which prompted the cancellation of all three of her planned shows there in August of last year. "The aim is to make people planning terrorist attacks in Austria feel less secure - and increase everyone else's sense of security," Joerg Leichtfried of the Social Democrats, the junior minister in charge of overseeing the Directorate for State Security and Intelligence (DSN), told a news conference. "That is why this decision by the cabinet today is an important milestone in the fight against terrorism and spying in Austria," he added. Under the new system, monitoring of a person's messaging must be approved by a three-judge panel and should only apply to a limited number of cases. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner told the news conference it was only expected to be used on 25-30 people a year. If it is more than 30, a report must be sent to a parliamentary committee, the government said, addressing concerns about mass surveillance and the infringement of people's privacy. "The police must have a well-founded suspicion of a possible terror attack" to monitor a person's messaging under the new system, a government statement said. Once parliament passes the legislation, a tender process for monitoring technology would be launched, and monitoring would begin in 2027, the government said. (Reporting by Francois Murphy; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Big blow for Thailand's PM as major party exits coalition
FILE PHOTO: Anutin Charnvirakul, Bhumjaithai Party's leader, arrives before the draw for the party's list usage for the election in Bangkok, Thailand, April 4, 2023. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand's Bhumjaithai Party on Wednesday withdrew from Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra's government in a major blow to the embattled premier, leaving her ruling coalition with only a slim majority. The party, the second largest in the alliance and holder of 69 house seats, said its departure was due to the impact on the nation of a leak on Wednesday of a phone call between Paetongtarn and Hun Sen, the influential former premier of Cambodia, with which Thailand is involved in an escalating border dispute. "Bhumjaithai will work with all Thai people to support the army and officials who safeguard the sovereignty, territorial integrity and interests of Thailand in all ways," Bhumjaithai said in a statement. A spokesperson for Paetongtarn's government did not answer calls seeking comment on the withdrawal. The exit of Bhumjaithai leaves Paetongtarn's government hanging by a thread and facing declining popularity as it battles to revive a lacklustre economy facing steep U.S. tariffs if it cannot negotiate a reduction. Political neophyte Paetongtarn, 38, the daughter of influential former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, was thrust abruptly into the spotlight less than a year ago when she became Thailand's youngest prime minister after her predecessorwas removed from office by a court order. Her position looks increasingly fragile and attention will now shift to whether her remaining 10 coalition members will follow Bhumjaithai. The row with Cambodia over disputed border areas has prompted fears of a confrontation after the mobilisation of troops on both sides, with Paetongtarn facing public criticism over her diplomatic response in contrast to the military's tougher rhetoric. Paetongtarn has insisted she is committed to a peaceful resolution but would do what is required to defend Thailand's sovereignty. In the leaked June 15 phone call, Paetongtarn said she was facing domestic pressure and urged Hun Sen not to listen to "the other side" in Thailand, which she said included an outspoken Thai general who oversees the army in the border area. "Bhumjaithia has called on Prime Minister Paetongtarn to show responsibility for making the country lose its integrity, honor, to the people and the army," the party said. (Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um; Writing by Martin Petty)
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
NZ PM to discuss trade on first visit to China
New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will visit China, looking to foster trade ties and woo tourists and students, although issues of security and defence will figure on his agenda in meetings with top leaders. Making his first visit to China since becoming prime minister in November 2023, Luxon will arrive in the financial hub of Shanghai before heading to Beijing for meetings on Friday with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, his office said. The first developed nation to sign a free trade deal with Beijing in 2008, New Zealand counts dairy, meat and wood products as its largest items of export to China. Tourism and education are major services sectors. Chinese tourists are the third-largest group of international visitors to New Zealand, though their numbers are still nearly a fifth lower than in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, official data shows. On the weekend, New Zealand said it would start in November a 12-month trial of visa waivers for Chinese passport holders arriving from Australia with visas valid for its neighbour, reciprocating China's visa-free policy for New Zealanders last year. Luxon, who has called China 'a vital part' of his Pacific nation's economic story, has told domestic media that based on the 'mature relationship' with Beijing, he expects talks during his four-day visit to cover topics of security and defence. 'The challenging global outlook makes it vital that we are sharing perspectives and engaging China on issues that matter to New Zealand,' his office said. — Reuters
