NAIROBI, Kenya — The Kenyan man who was shot at close range by a police officer throughout latest protests over a blogger’s dying in custody has died, his household mentioned Monday.
The household spokesperson, Emily Wanjira, mentioned Boniface Kariuki died on Monday afternoon, a day after docs on the nationwide referral hospital in Nairobi declared him brain-dead.
An Related Press photographer captured the moment when the police officer shot Kariuki within the head. Kariuki held a package deal of face masks and seemed to be a vendor and bystander through the protests over the death of blogger Albert Ojwang.
That dying, and the taking pictures of Kariuki, reignited anger in Kenya over the longstanding problem of police brutality.
Two cops have been arrested over the taking pictures of Kariuki on June 17.
Six folks, together with three cops, have been charged with the dying of Ojwang in custody. An earlier report by police indicated that the blogger banged his head on the wall, however a pathologist’s report refuted the claims that his accidents had been self-inflicted.
Human rights teams have lengthy known as for motion over unlawful arrests, detentions and torture of presidency critics in Kenya. President William Ruto has vowed to finish police brutality and mentioned no enforced disappearances would occur throughout his administration.
However Ruto’s inside minister, Kipchumba Murkomen, final week instructed police to “shoot on sight” anybody who approaches police stations throughout protests. The order got here after 5 police stations had been torched.
Murkomen added that police shouldn’t run except the gang is larger than 20 folks, citing “orders from above” with out giving particulars.
The Kenya Legislation Society condemned the remarks, saying it was unlawful and “any unjustified use of power can be deemed a premeditated crime.”