The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo has urged authorities to reveal the identity of a mask vendor who was shot by a police officer at close range during protests in Nairobi yesterday.
According to the National Police Service and the Health Director-General, the 22-year-old hawker is still in critical condition after undergoing surgery last night.
The LSK President insists that a full identification of the individual is essential in preventing a potential cover-up. "The man had a name yesterday… today the name is different.
We need to verify that information to ascertain that it's the same person who was shot, or whether it's somebody else," she said, adding, "vigilance is very important so that we are not fed a story." The Standard has independently identified the victim to be Boniface Kariuki, a city hawker who sells chains but chose to supply face masks to protesters due to the high demand caused by the sting of tear gas deployed by police to disperse demonstrators yesterday. Further, the lawyer wants the officer involved in the incident to be held personally liable for using lethal force against an unarmed protester, adding that the boss who issued the orders should equally bear command responsibility and accountability. "I would exonerate the Inspector General of Police based on how tough he acts on this particular matter.
