Mulembe Times | July 8, 2025
Families in Kiambu County are reeling from grief and anger after police officers allegedly shot and killed at least six people, including a 12-year-old girl, during the Saba Saba Day protests on Monday, June 7, 2025. The victims’ families are now demanding justice, government compensation, and an independent investigation into what they term as unlawful use of force by security agencies.
Among those killed was Bridgit Njoki, a 12-year-old girl who was watching television inside her family’s home in Ndumberi village when a stray bullet struck her in the head.
“It was around 6:20 pm. We were at home as a family when a bullet pierced through the wall and hit my daughter. Our house is nearly two kilometers away from the main road,” said her distraught mother, Lucy Ngugi, as she broke down in tears.
Bridgit was rushed to St. Brigid’s Hospital where medics attempted to resuscitate her, but she was pronounced dead upon arrival. Her death has sparked national outrage, with human rights groups calling for accountability over the use of live ammunition in residential areas far from the protest epicenters.
Another victim, Dennis Mutuma Mwangi, 23, was fatally shot just outside his home in Kiambu town. His mother, Friday Kawira, recounted the horrific moment her son was gunned down.
“He had just finished washing his clothes and stepped out to see what was happening. He wasn’t even protesting. He was shot from the back, the bullet went through his neck. He died instantly outside our home,” she said.
In Ndumberi, Laban Kamau was also killed after being shot in the head. His mother, Margaret Wangui, expressed disbelief at the scale of police response in their rural village.
“Ndumberi is a quiet place. We were shocked to see such heavy-handed policing. My son was not a criminal. He did not deserve to die like that,” she said bitterly.
The tragedy has also left others wounded. Kevin Muiruri, 18, is currently nursing a gunshot wound on his left leg. He was hit in Kabete constituency as he fled the chaos.
“I wasn’t protesting. I was just trying to run for safety. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain and fell. I couldn’t believe the police were firing directly at us,” he said from his hospital bed.
The affected families are also facing financial strain as they are being billed for mortuary and post-mortem services at Kiambu Level Five Hospital. They are appealing to the national government to shoulder the costs, describing the killings as “unprovoked and unlawful.”
“The government killed our children and now wants us to pay to bury them. It’s not just inhumane—it’s cruel,” one relative told Mulembe Times.
Former Kiambu MP Jude Njomo, who visited the bereaved families, joined the chorus for justice, stating that the police cannot be trusted to investigate themselves.
“How can we expect justice from the same officers who pulled the triggers? We demand an independent, even international investigation into these killings. These are not isolated incidents—they are a pattern,” he said.
Njomo also criticized official police reports, which downplayed the casualties in Kiambu, stating only one death had been recorded, despite six fatalities being confirmed by families and community leaders.
“We must speak the truth. We cannot bury these young lives quietly while the government pretends nothing happened,” Njomo added.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has since acknowledged receiving complaints but has yet to issue a formal statement on the matter. Meanwhile, civil society groups and opposition leaders have scheduled a vigil in memory of the victims and to demand swift action against those responsible.
The Saba Saba Day protests, initially organized to commemorate the 1990 pro-democracy movement, turned deadly in several counties this year after confrontations between demonstrators and police escalated. Human rights watchdogs have accused the government of violating international laws by deploying live ammunition in civilian areas.
