Two police officers accused of shooting Boniface Mwangi Kariuki, a protester critically injured during anti-government demonstrations in Nairobi, were on Thursday arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts, as pressure mounts for justice and police accountability.
The officers, Klinzy Baraza Masinde and Duncan Kiprono, were presented before Magistrate BenMark Ekhubi under a miscellaneous application filed by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA). The agency requested to detain the pair for 21 days to allow for full forensic investigations into the shooting.
The court, however, granted IPOA 15 days to hold the officers while investigations continue.
“The two officers, suspected of shooting Kariuki along Mondlane Street in the Nairobi CBD on June 17, will remain in custody for 15 days as IPOA finalizes investigations,” the magistrate ruled.
Masinde and Kiprono, who have since been interdicted, are accused of opening fire on Kariuki during Gen Z-led protests that have shaken the nation and drawn widespread international concern.
According to court documents, Kariuki was unarmed and attempting to flee the scene when he was shot. He was rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital by good Samaritans and immediately underwent emergency surgery. He remains in critical condition in the ICU.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) arrested the officers at Nairobi Area Police Headquarters following widespread public outcry and protests demanding justice for victims of police brutality.
