A wave of grief and anger swept through Githunguri village in Murang’a County on Friday as the community gathered to bid farewell to Boniface Kariuki, the 23-year-old hawker who was fatally shot during recent nationwide protests.
Hundreds of mourners filled the village to capacity, not only to pay their last respects but also to raise their voices in a chorus of demands for accountability. The atmosphere was charged with emotion, as friends, family, and opposition leaders spoke out strongly against what they described as a disturbing trend of state brutality.
Kariuki, who lost his life on June 17 during demonstrations over the death of teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang’ allegedly while in police custody has since become a symbol of what many see as a crackdown on dissent. His shooting, reportedly at the hands of police, has intensified scrutiny over law enforcement conduct and broader questions of government responsibility.
His parents, Jonah Kariuki Nyambura and Susan Njeri Kariuki, stood silently at the graveside, their grief visible and heavy. Days of mourning culminated in a ceremony marked by deep sorrow and growing calls for justice.
Speakers at the funeral did not hold back in their criticism of President William Ruto, with some calling for his resignation and accusing his administration of enabling extrajudicial violence. They described the recent wave of killings as not only tragic but intolerable in a democratic society.
As Boniface Kariuki was laid to rest, his name joined a growing list of young lives lost in the midst of a national crisis lives that, for many, now represent a demand for change.
