Kenyan Newspapers Review, June 25: Boniface Kariuki's Family Demands Answers from KNH
The newspapers on Wednesday, June 25, reported on the anticipated protests in commemoration of the deaths of young Kenyans killed last year outside Parliament buildings during the protests against the Finance Bill 2024.
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Source: UGC
Elsewhere, the family of a mask vendor shot in Nairobi during protests decried being left in the dark over the condition of their kin.
1. Taifa Leo
The newspaper reported on the mystery of the condition of a mask vendor shot in Nairobi during protests.
The family of Boniface Kariuki, a hawker from Murang'a who was shot in the head, is waiting for answers from doctors about his condition.
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Boniface, 22, has been keeping his family in a state of shock for over a week, being admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at Kenyatta National Hospital on a life support machine.
His mother, Susan Njeri, said they have not received a full explanation from doctors about her son's condition, a matter of great concern to the family.
"When someone is on a life support machine, you cannot tell if they are alive or dead. We want the doctor to tell us the truth. There are many things being said on social media, but we have nothing from the doctors. We don't know what to believe," she said.
Meanwhile, police from central Kenya visited the hawker's family at their home in Murang'a county.
Central regional police boss Samuel Ndanyi assured the family that justice would be served.
"The two police officers who are involved in the shooting have already been arraigned in court, and the prosecution is ongoing, and this is our show of commitment in pursuing justice for Mwangi," said Ndanyi.
2. The Standard
The Standard spared many pages for the memorial of tens of young Kenyans killed in the streets while agitating for good governance and disapproving of the tax-filled Finance Bill 2024.
Kenyans mobilised to be in the streets on Wednesday, June 25.
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Ahead of the anticipated protests, the National Police Service (NPS) asked the members of the public to restrain themselves and protest within the specified guidelines.
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja said police would undertake their duties within the law.
The Ministry of Interior cautioned the protesters against provoking the police and breaching protected areas.
3. People Daily
People Daily spotlighted the memories of Gen Z protesters killed during last June's demonstrations.
While the government places the death toll at 42, human rights organisations report that more than 63 young people lost their lives amid ongoing calls for justice from affected families.
The bloodshed began on June 20, when Rex Masai became the first casualty of police brutality during protests in Nairobi's city centre.
The 29-year-old was shot in the thigh and died from excessive bleeding, according to his postmortem report.
Gen Zs across the country had risen in unprecedented numbers, fuelled not by ethnic loyalties or political tribalism but by a common dream that Kenya could be better.
They protested against an economically ruinous finance bill, a bill that punished the poor with punitive taxes while shielding the wealth of a tiny elite.
But their demands went far beyond fiscal policy.
They called out corruption, called for transparency, and demanded that leaders be held accountable for decades of economic mismanagement, spiralling debt and broken promises.
They wanted a country that works for all, not just for the privileged few. And for this, they were met with bullets.
Across the streets of Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa, Nakuru and Eldoret, peaceful demonstrators were shot in broad daylight.
In estates like Kayole and Mathare, young men were rounded up and allegedly executed under the cover of night.
In universities, student leaders were arrested or disappeared; online activists faced surveillance, harassment and arbitrary detention.
A year on, no one has been prosecuted over the atrocities, with victims and families still clinging to the hope for justice.
4. Daily Nation
The Daily Nation reported on President William Ruto's assurance to the police.
Ruto praised the police despite the public mistrust over their conduct.
The president asked Kenyans to respect the police owing to their service to the nation.
He said that police officers have a duty to secure the nation. He said that Kenyans' lives and property must be protected.
"For the people who want to undermine, demean or try to intimidate our security agencies, I'm telling them you're doing the wrong thing. Our security men and women deserve every support we can muster for them to secure our nation," he said.
"Nobody is above the law; none of us is above the law. You can't intimidate the police, use force, insult or threaten them. When you do so, you're threatening our nation because these officers are the frontline defenders of our rights as Kenyans and of our country's right to peace and security," Ruto added.
Although he did not directly refer to the planned commemoration of the victims of the anti-finance bill protests, the president praised the police and pledged his administration's protection.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the police force... I want to give you my assurance that as you secure this nation, this nation will also make sure that you and your families are safe," he said.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
