At least one person was killed and two others injured on Tuesday after police opened fire during fresh protests in Huruma, Mathare, over the disappearance of two local youths, Abdulaziz Duba Molu, popularly known as Zizo, and Maxwell Kiarie.
The demonstrations, which entered their third round since last week, brought business to a standstill in Huruma, Kiamaiko, Kariobangi North and along Outer Ring Road as protesters barricaded roads with stones and boulders while demanding that the two missing men be produced or released.
Police used tear gas to disperse the protesters after several hours of disruption.
According to police, some individuals participating in the demonstrations allegedly attacked and robbed members of the public while blocking roads, prompting officers to intervene.
A senior police officer said investigations into the fatal shooting are underway.
The latest fatality raises the number of people killed since the protests began last week to two.
Motorists and commuters were stranded for hours before police cleared the affected roads at around 1:00 p.m. Some residents also reported being robbed during the unrest.
The whereabouts of Zizo and Kiarie remain unknown.
Their families and supporters have accused government agencies of being responsible for their disappearance, although authorities have not officially confirmed who is holding them or whether they are in lawful custody.
Police have previously linked Zizo to criminal activities, noting that he was arrested in 2024 during a Directorate of Criminal Investigations operation targeting an armed gang allegedly involved in robberies using stolen police firearms.
At the time, detectives arrested six suspects and recovered two pistols—a Ceska and a Falcon—along with 18 rounds of ammunition during operations conducted in Kayole, Umoja 3, Huruma and Kiamaiko.
Investigators alleged that the gang used women to drug patrons in entertainment venues before stealing their firearms and valuables, with the stolen weapons later handed to accomplices to carry out robberies.
Police also claimed that one of the recovered pistols had been stolen from a police inspector in Kamukunji in June 2024.
Authorities have described Zizo as a known criminal allegedly involved in robbery and drug trafficking. However, they have not acknowledged his current whereabouts or confirmed whether he is in police custody.
