A candlelight vigil held in memory of Boniface Kariuki, a 24-year-old mask vendor fatally shot last month, was dispersed by police officers using tear gas on Wednesday night. The vigil took place along Mondlane Street at Imenti House, the site where Kariuki was shot.<\/p>\n
Videos circulating show mourners gathered with lit candles in tribute to Kariuki before police intervention. Clouds of white tear gas smoke filled the air, causing some attendees to scatter, though others remained.<\/p>\n
The vigil preceded Kariuki’s funeral, scheduled for Friday, July 11. It was held just hours after friends and family attended a requiem mass for him at All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi.<\/p>\n
Boniface Kariuki was reportedly unarmed when he was shot at point-blank range by a police officer during the June 17 protests. He had been present at the demonstration to sell face masks. The incident, captured on camera, generated significant public outrage as Kariuki fought for his life in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).<\/p>\n
Ironically, the June 17 protests were organized to demand justice for the death of blogger-cum-teacher Albert Ojwang, who had died in police custody shortly before. The public outcry following Kariuki’s shooting led to the arrest of two police officers seen harassing him before one fired the shot. The legal proceedings in this case are ongoing.<\/p>\n
Kariuki succumbed to his injuries on Monday, June 30, nearly two weeks after the shooting, having been declared brain-dead the previous day. An object suspected to be a rubber bullet had been removed from his skull during emergency surgery upon his arrival at KNH.<\/p>\n
Following his death, Kariuki’s family expressed concern over the escalating hospital bill, which had surpassed Ksh3.5 million, and appealed for public assistance to clear the debt. Political leaders from Murang’a County, where Kariuki’s family resides, visited them and presented a Ksh1 million donation from President William Ruto to help cover funeral expenses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A candlelight vigil held in memory of Boniface Kariuki, a 24-year-old mask vendor fatally shot last month, was dispersed by police officers using tear gas on Wednesday night. The vigil took place along Mondlane Street at Imenti House, the site where Kariuki was shot. Videos circulating show mourners gathered with lit candles in tribute to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6073,"featured_media":227438,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[310],"tags":[139936],"class_list":["post-228008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-boniface-kariuki-news"],"yoast_head":"\n