Jonah Kariuki, the father of 22-year-old hawker Boniface Kariuki, addresses the press at Kenyatta National Hospital, June 21, 2025. /SCREENGRABJonah Kariuki, the father of 22-year-old hawker Boniface Kariuki who was shot by police during protests in Nairobi, has fallen victim to fraudsters posing as officials from the Social Health Authority (SHA).
The scammers approached him with false promises of assisting with hospital bills and registering his family under the SHA programme.
In the process, they defrauded him of Sh200,000.
"It was someone who told me he's from SHA. He asked that I send him Sh20,500 to help me reduce the hospital bill but the person I sent to deposit the money mistakenly sent Sh200,500," he said during a press conference at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) where his son is admitted.
Influencers had launched an online crowdfunding campaign to help the family clear the hospital bill.
The senior Kariuki said he is yet to seek help from the service provider to have the money reversed.
"I had gone to Safaricom but I did not get in because I was needed here (at KNH) but I have taken an OB so I will return to have them give me the statement," he said.
A lawyer representing the family said the hospital bill is in the region of one million shillings.
Asked about the status of the patient, he said, "We have not been told".
"But we have visted him and you can see that he is not responding, he's just there. The situation that he was in is still the situation he is in now," he said.
Boniface was shot in the head at close range by a police officer during protests in Nairobi on Tuesday, June 17.
He was reportedly selling face masks when he was struck at Imenti House on Moi Avenue.
The incident occurred amid nationwide unrest following the death of blogger Albert Ojwang in police custody, which has since sparked widespread public outrage and renewed scrutiny of police brutality.
Boniface was rushed to a city clinic for first aid and later transferred to the Kenyatta National Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery.
He remains in the intensive care unit.
In response to the shooting, two police officers—Klinzy Barasa and Duncan Kiprono—were arrested and arraigned in court.
They are currently being held in custody until July 3 as investigations continue.
The case has attracted widespread condemnation, with demonstrators demanding accountability for both Boniface’s shooting and Ojwang’s earlier death.
Human rights organisations and legal bodies have urged the government to ensure transparency in the investigations and to hold those responsible to account.
