KNH Medics Suspect Boniface Kariuki Was Shot with Rubber Bullet: "Submitted For Analysis"
- Doctors at Kenyatta National Hospital said the projectile that struck Boniface Mwangi Kariuki during anti-police brutality protests may have been a rubber bullet
- However, the medical team is withholding a final judgment, stating that a proper forensic analysis is needed to determine the exact nature of the object
- KNH CEO William Sigilai confirmed that the foreign material extracted from Kariuki's head had been handed over to the relevant authorities for expert examination
- He said Boniface remains in critical condition, unconscious but showing slight signs of stability following emergency surgery
Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
Doctors at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) suspect that Boniface Mwangi Kariuki, the hawker shot during Nairobi protests on Tuesday, June 17, may have been hit with a rubber bullet.
Source: UGC
However, the medics were cautious in their findings as they stated that it was too early for them to confirm.
The young vendor was shot at close range by an anti-riot police officer during protests in the Nairobi Central Business District.
Viral videos captured the shocking moment when Kariuki, who had been selling face masks near Imenti House, raised his hands in surrender before being gunned down.
Many who watched the footage feared he had died on the spot, sparking uproar among Kenyans online and the arrest of the officer.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, June 18, KNH CEO William Sigilai confirmed that they had performed surgery on the young man.
What projectile hit Kariuki during Nairobi demos?
However, the hospital has yet to conclusively determine what type of bullet caused the young lad's injuries.
According to Sigilai, the material extracted during surgery has been submitted to authorities for expert analysis.
He pointed out that from their initial findings, the bullet that hit Kariuki was likely a rubber bullet.
"At this point in time we were uncertain; usually when we remove any foreign bodies from injured persons, they are submitted for analysis and that is what will establish. I can only say we suspect that it is rubber, but we are not experts in that field. We are required to remove and submit them for analysis by the relevant bodies," he explained.
How is Boniface Kariuki responding to treatment?
Sigilai explained that the 22-year-old man remains in critical condition, revealing that he had not regained consciousness.
The hospital administrator expressed optimism about his condition, pointing out that his status had slightly improved.
Source: UGC
He further noted that the first 24 hours following such trauma and an extensive surgical procedure are often the most critical.
"After the surgery, we’ve observed some changes. I’m not saying that he has regained consciousness, but he is in a relatively more stable condition compared to when he was first brought to the hospital.
It’s true that the injury he sustained, believed or suspected to have been caused by a bullet, resulted in damage to his skull, and there was also some injury to his brain. That’s what I can say for now," he said.
Johnson Sakaja calls out goons
Following the shooting, Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja condemned the National Police Service's actions.
Sakaja called for a full, independent investigation and urged authorities to hold the shooter accountable.
He warned against criminal elements hijacking peaceful demonstrations, emphasised Kenyans’ constitutional right to protest, and demanded that law enforcement act decisively against hired goons causing chaos, vandalism, and looting.
Opposition leaders call for arrest of Sakaja
Despite distancing himself from the goons who roamed around the city chanting his name, Sakaja is still in the eye of a storm.
Opposition leaders are demanding his arrest to provide insights into his relationship with the club-wielding men who terrorised protesters on Tuesday, June 17.
In a joint letter, former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua, Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, People Liberation's leader Martha Karua and DAP-K's Eugene Wamalwa condemned the "hiring and deployment" of goons to attack peaceful protesters.
In a separate address, Embakasi West MP Mark Mwenje and his Kajiado North counterpart Onesmus Ngogoyo said the Nairobi governor was unfit to hold office and should be arrested and charged, or impeached by the county assembly.
Ngogoyo asked Nairobi traders and businesspeople whose properties were destroyed by the goons to boycott paying taxes and licences to the county government.
Masolo Mabonga, HOD Current Affairs and Politics, updated this article with details on Opposition leaders' reaction to the deployment of goons in the city.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
