On Monday, June 23, 2025, three Kenyan Police officers, along with three civilians, have been formally charged in the murder of 31-year-old blogger Albert Ojwang, who died earlier this month while in Police custody. Ojwang’s arrest followed accusations of defamation by Kenya’s deputy police chief, Eliud Lagat, who has since stepped aside amid the ongoing investigation. Police initially claimed the blogger died from self-inflicted wounds, but an autopsy later revealed signs of fatal assault, sparking national protests and public outrage over systemic abuse within Kenya’s security forces.
Tensions escalated further after a street vendor, Boniface Kariuki, was critically shot in the head by a police officer during demonstrations in Nairobi calling for justice for Ojwang. The incident, captured on video, shows Kariuki, who was reportedly unarmed and simply selling face masks, being shot at close range by a masked officer. His family has described him as the household breadwinner, now dependent on life support and unable to see, hear, or speak. The attack has intensified demands for accountability and justice.
Civil society groups and opposition activists are now calling for a nationwide shutdown to protest against ongoing police brutality, marking a year since deadly anti-tax protests. Demonstrators and international human rights bodies have urged the Kenyan government to ensure full transparency in investigations and to hold all those responsible for abuses to account. The cases of Ojwang and Kariuki have become emblematic of broader public frustrations with unchecked police violence and impunity.