Police Officer Charged With Murder of Nairobi Mask Vendor Boniface Kariuki
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Renson Igonga, has preferred murder charges against Police Constable Klinzy Masinde Baraza for the shooting of Boniface Kariuki Mwangi on June 17, 2025, during protests in Nairobi CBD.
The DPP announced that following the completion of investigations and piecing together of evidence, Baraza will now be charged with the murder of the mask vendor, who is set to be laid to rest this week.
However, his co-accused, Duncan Kiprono, with whom he was pictured during the shocking incident that was captured on camera, has been set free.
Videos of the shooting, analysed by TSM, showed a police officer believed to be Baraza charging toward a group of demonstrators on Mondlane Street near Imenti House before firing the first shot.
Kariuki was seen falling to the ground before a second officer struck him with the butt of his firearm. Moments later, the first officer aimed his gun at the vendor and shot him in the head at close range.
The footage showed Mwangi lying on the ground, bleeding, as panicked protesters rushed to his aid. He was taken to Bliss Medical Center, where he received emergency first aid as they awaited an ambulance.
Read Also: Shoot Protesters in the Leg: Ruto Tells Police
He was later transferred to Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, where attempts to save his life did not yield any results.
Kariuki, who had been in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at KNH, later passed away at 3.15pm on Monday, June 30, almost two weeks after the shooting.
