From Home to Mortuary: Kenyan Citizens Demand Justice After 12-Year-Old Girl Killed by Stray Bullet During Saba Saba Protests

The tragic death of a 12-year-old girl has sent shockwaves through Kiambu County, igniting fresh protests that have paralyzed the area and sparked a national outcry.  

Hundreds of angry residents poured onto Kiambu Road on Tuesday in a spontaneous show of fury, grief, and frustration after the preteen was fatally struck by a stray bullet during Monday’s Saba Saba Day demonstrations. 

The young victim, whose name is yet to be officially released, was at home with her mother when the incident occurred. As violent clashes between police and demonstrators raged outside, the family sought safety indoors. But even their home could not shield them from the chaos. 

“We were at the house with my daughter around 6:20pm when we heard a bang. I saw my daughter with blood on her hands. We thought she had cut herself, but when I looked at her, she fell to the ground. She had a hole in her head,” her devastated mother recounted. 

The child was rushed to St. Bridget’s Hospital, where medical staff attempted to revive her and prepare for emergency surgery. Despite all efforts, she was pronounced dead after her heart stopped and could not be restarted. 

By Tuesday afternoon, scenes of rage erupted across Kiambu-Limuru Road, a key artery leading into the town, with protesters lighting bonfires, blocking roads, and chanting for justice. Bonfires blazed along roads from Thindigua to Kiambu town, with demonstrators demanding accountability for the excessive force used by law enforcement. 

While no major incidents of vandalism were reported, tension remained dangerously high. Police had earlier blocked access into Kiambu, anticipating potential unrest, but their attempts to control the crowd were met with defiance. Eyewitnesses claimed officers were also seen forcing businesses to shut down amid the growing unrest. 

Kenyans across the country are expressing shock and anger, calling the incident yet another brutal reminder of how state violence can rob even the most innocent of their right to life. 

This tragedy adds to the mounting pressure on the Kenyan government to address allegations of excessive force and to hold those responsible to account. As images of the young girl and burning roads flood social media, calls for justice continue to grow louder, turning this into a defining moment in the struggle against police brutality in the region. 

Kiambu remains one of the areas hardest hit during the Saba Saba protests, a day meant to honor Kenya’s fight for democracy. Instead, it has become a symbol of deep national pain and unresolved grievances. 

For now, the memory of a young life cut short in her own home is the image that haunts not only her community but an entire region questioning how such tragedies can still happen, and demanding, finally, that they stop.