Victims of the Gen Z demonstration are reeling from pain even as they narrate their ordeal from hospital beds.
From a distance, Victor Otieno is uneasy. Otieno, 23, is among those admitted at KNH with head, body and face injuries.
"I was attacked by goons who stole my phone at the country bus," Otieno said from a hospital bed.
The carpenter who works at Gikomba said the attack happened at around 2 pm.
“This was my first time taking part in a demonstration.”
Hell broke loose when a huge crowd of rowdy youth surged towards him. He fell unconscious.
“I only know that I was brought to the hospital by an ambulance,” he said as he waited for fresh wounds on his face and head to be stitched.
A nurse attending to Otieno told the Star that he is stranded, as none of his family members want to associate with him for taking part in the demonstrations.
Minne Gathoni, 39, is also nursing serious injuries reportedly inflicted by a rubber bullet at Dagoretti. Gathoni’s cousin Susan Njeri said she was targeted by police in the evening.
“I was called at 6 pm and informed that Gathoni had been injured,” Njeri said.
Gathoni, like Otieno, is admitted at KNH, having undergone surgery to remove bullets. Njeri, who was camping at KNH, said she had not seen her but had been informed that she had undergone surgery at 7 am.
“Three rubber bullets injured her left hand," Njeri said.
She wondered why police indiscriminately shot at innocent bystanders who did not take part in the demonstration.
“Three police Land Cruisers were speeding when she was shot in her left hand,” Njeri said, adding that Gathoni was conducting her business selling meat at Dagoretti.
“Nobody would like to go and be shot. People are mad even as those who did not take part were targeted. Some of the issues can be sorted through dialogue,” Njeri said.
Gathoni, a mother of a nine-year-old child, has other dependents, including her hypertensive mother, who she has been taking care of.
Efforts by the Star to find out the number of those admitted at KNH were not successful, as the hospital had not approved the statistics by the time of going to press.
"We are waiting for approval in order to release the statement," Dave Opiyo, from the hospital’s communications department, told the Star at his office.
Separately, the family of Boniface Kariuki are also hanging on to the hope that their kin will be okay. Emily Wanjiru, a family spokesperson, told the Star at KNH that they are “hoping for the best”.
“He is still in critical condition and on machines, as a bullet had been lodged in his brain. The bill is almost Sh 3 million, as it is now standing at Sh2.7 million,” Wanjiru said.
The protests, which were held in 24 counties, turned violent, with Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen confirming that at least 10 people were killed, though he noted investigations into the exact number and circumstances were ongoing. Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have put the death toll at 16.
“Over 400 people were injured, close to 300 being police officers, some left with injuries they will carry for the rest of their lives,” the CS said in a separate briefing.
He also detailed extensive damage to government infrastructure and property, noting that key installations were deliberately targeted.
“At least nine police stations were attacked, five of which were torched, including Dagoretti, Molo and Ol Kalau. Eighty-eight police vehicles were destroyed. A total of 27 national and county government vehicles were damaged, while 65 civilian vehicles – including a school bus – were burnt at various police stations.”
