A horrifying head-shoot incident has triggered nationwide outrage after a police officer was caught on camera shooting an unarmed street vendor at close range in Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD). The brutal scene unfolded along Mondlane Street, just off Moi Avenue, as protests demanding police accountability turned deadly.
In a now-viral video, the officer is seen sprinting from a group of anti-riot police stationed near the Nairobi Sports Center. He first fires into the air to disperse a crowd of peaceful demonstrators but hits no one. Moments later, the officer and a colleague confront a vendor believed to have been selling face masks. What followed has shocked the conscience of the nation.
Instead of walking past the vendor, the officers stop. One slaps the man, while the other violently strikes him with the butt of a gun. As the victim reels from the blow, the first officer draws his weapon again, this time pointing directly at the man’s head, and pulls the trigger.
Eyewitness images show the vendor lying in a pool of blood, still clutching a packet of masks. Protesters rushed him to Bliss Medical Centre, but by then, the damage had been done. The head-shoot, captured from multiple angles, has sparked fury online, with many Kenyans demanding justice and accountability from law enforcement.
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Disturbingly, the protests themselves had been organized to denounce another recent tragedy: the suspicious death of blogger Albert Ojwang while in police custody. That case, which already had civil rights groups on high alert, has now been eclipsed by this latest act of unchecked police brutality.
To make matters worse, eyewitnesses and social media footage reveal that groups of suspected hired goons were seen riding motorcycles into the city during the protests, chanting threats and brandishing crude weapons like knives and clubs. Some videos appear to show these goons coordinating with the very police officers meant to protect the public, attacking protesters and looting from innocent civilians.
The Kenyan public is demanding answers. Why was lethal force used on an unarmed man? Who authorized the deployment of armed thugs? And why does impunity continue to thrive within the police service?
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and human rights organizations are being called upon to investigate the head-shoot incident and ensure that justice is served for the fallen vendor. As outrage builds, one thing is clear: Kenyans will not let this be another name forgotten in the long list of victims of police violence.
