The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has sanctioned murder charges against police officer Klinzy Barasa Masinde, who is alleged to have fatally shot hawker Boniface Kariuki during the protests in Nairobi on June 17, which were sparked by concerns over extrajudicial killings.
Barasa and his colleague, Duncan Kiprono, were suspended after being recorded assaulting the unarmed vendor, with Barasa ultimately shooting him at close range on Moi Avenue.
On Wednesday, the DPP announced that Barasa would face charges on Friday before High Court Judge Justice Kimondo, while Kiprono was released as no charges would be filed against him.
The incident ignited widespread outrage and further protests against police violence, and Kariuki was hospitalized with four bullet fragments in his brain, two of which were surgically removed while he was still alive.
Pathologists later indicated that Kariuki’s brain may have stopped functioning before his death was officially declared over a week later.
