Protesters carry the body of the man shot by a police officer in
Nairobi CBD on June 17, 2025./DOUGLAS OKIDDYKenyans on Tuesday were yet again burning with fury after a man was shot at close range by police during Tuesday’s Nairobi Central Business District protests.
Demonstrators came out in large numbers to protest the death of high school teacher and social media influencer Albert Ojwang in police custody.
Burning with rage and anger, Kenyans have expressed their disappointment in the police service for failing to protect Kenyans.
The man, who was dressed in a blue jacket, a brown cap, grey trousers, and brown shoes, was seen being confronted by two police officers seemingly trying to explain himself.
The officer initially fired shots into the crowd, though no injuries were reported at that point. Moments later, he and a fellow officer confronted the mask vendor.
One officer slapping the man, while the other strikes him with the butt of his gun. The first officer then raises his firearm and shoots the man at close range.
The two walked away from the scene as protesters around tried to confront them about why they had shot him.
The man was then seen on the floor with a shattered head and blood oozing as Kenyans of goodwill tried to help.
Images from the aftermath show the victim lying in a pool of blood, his hands still clutching the packet of masks he had reportedly been selling.
The man has been identified as Ali, a trader who sells masks in the Nairobi CBD.
A fellow mask vendor was seen crying uncontrollably, trying to come to terms with the death of Ali.
“He has never taken anything from anyone; he has never stolen. He was selling masks. He has not killed, what will his family say when he is?”She said amidst tears.
Kenyans and a section of leaders have come out to condemn police brutality meted out against protesters.
People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua has strongly condemned the killing of a man by police in Nairobi’s CBD during demonstrations over the death of teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang.
Reacting to a video that seems to show the moment the man was shot, Karua termed the killing as “another extrajudicial execution.”
“How many deaths will it take for you to stop this?” Karua posed for the National Police Service.
Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka placed the blame on security agencies, saying they have failed in their duties.
“We are witnessing a clear dereliction of duty on the part of the National Police Service, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP),” he said.
“The Kenya Kwanza regime has failed Kenyans. Goons on motorbikes attempted to disrupt peaceful demonstrations by terrorising innocent children and people expressing their fundamental rights to demonstrate and picket, as provided under Article 37 of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010.”
Alleged goons infiltrated the Tuesday protests in Nairobi CBD and engaged in mugging pedestrians..
With police and city askaris concentrated in uptown streets west of Moi Avenue near Parliament and other critical installations, the goons are having a field day in backstreets like Luthuli Avenue, Latema Road and River Road, sending pedestrians on a fleeting spree.
Shops remained closed as business owners stood outside to guard their property and keep looters at bay.
The protest turned chaotic, with lurid scenes of people gasping, blinded by tear gas, and stumbling through the smoke.
Traffic in and out of the CBD is constrained, with protesters blocking sections of main transport roads like Thika Road and Uhuru Highway.
