Emotions ran high Wednesday during a requiem mass for Boniface Kariuki, the mask vendor shot by police during the June 25 protests.
The event held at the All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi was attended by family, friends, and relatives.
Kariuki’s family shared heartfelt tributes, remembering him as a hardworking, kind-hearted young man who met his death while going about his normal duties.
“It has been very difficult for us, but with God we know we are going to win,” said a family member even as they called for justice.
“It was painful, we do not want to discuss more about how he was robbed of his life.”
They also pleaded for continued financial support to help finalise burial arrangements.
“We are yet to reach the target, and we are requesting the well-wishers to come through so that one of the burdens can lessen.”
Starehe MP Amos Mwago and activist Eric Omondi, who also attended, strongly condemned the police’s use of excessive force against peaceful demonstrators.
They called for an end to police brutality and the senseless killings that have marred recent protests in some parts of the country.
“We cannot normalise bloodshed in our streets. Boniface was unarmed. He was just trying to earn a living,” Mwago said.
Omondi echoed the call for justice, vowing to see the case through the courts to its conclusion.
According to the family, a candlelight vigil will be held Wednesday evening at the spot where Kariuki was shot, a symbolic act of remembrance.
His final journey will take place next Friday, when he will be laid to rest at his family home in Kangema, Murang’a County.
Kariuki was pronounced dead last week after two weeks in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Kenyatta Hospital, where he had been admitted following the shooting. Doctors declared him brain dead.
