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A man identified by witnesses as a hawker selling face masks was fatally shot by police officers outside Imenti House in Nairobi’s Central Business District on Tuesday.
The incident occurred during a demonstration demanding justice for blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang, who reportedly died while in police custody last week.
The tragic incident, captured on video, has sparked national outrage, with disturbing footage widely circulated online. The footage shows two armed police officers confronting the man before one of them opens fire at close range.
According to eyewitnesses, the man was not part of the protest but was merely trying to earn a living by selling masks and water to demonstrators.
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Photos and video clips shared on social media show him lying on the ground with visible bleeding from his upper body. In his hands, he still clutched the packet of masks he was reportedly selling.
"This man was just selling water. He was just shot dead at close range as he stood there. This is so wrong!" said a tearful woman who also identified herself as a fellow vendor.
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Public figures speak out
The shooting has drawn sharp criticism from prominent leaders and public personalities, who are calling for justice and accountability.
KANU Chairman Gideon Moi issued a strongly worded statement condemning the incident and calling for the arrest of the officer responsible.
The cold-blooded shooting of an unarmed mask vendor at close range by a police officer during protests in the CBD is tragic and a shocking abuse of power by police. Equally alarming is the infiltration of peaceful protests by a ragtag militia, brazenly wielding batons and robbing pedestrians and bystanders in broad daylight.
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Celebrity reactions to the CBD shooting
Media personality Janet Mbugua expressed heartbreak and frustration over the state of public safety and police accountability.
We’re not safe. Not even from those meant to protect us. Why rub it in over and over again? We can’t normalise this. We can’t move on. We demand better. We have to. Stay aware, stay vigilant, amplify where you can. Stay safe.
Media influencer Maureen Waititu echoed similar sentiments, decrying the police's apparent disregard for human life.
The disregard of human life! 😡😡😡😡😡. All this poor man had was a handful of masks, no weapon, no threat, just trying to make a little money to perhaps take back to his family.
But tonight, because of a monster parading as a cop, his body is sleeping not in a warm bed, but on a cold morgue floor, never to see his loved ones ever again! 😭😭😭.
Media personality and activist Lynn Ngugi spoke more broadly to the ongoing frustration among Kenyans about the shrinking democratic space and rising police brutality.
I don’t know how to sit still in moments of injustice. Yes, I carry the fear of bullets, of death, of knowing this could be our last day. But what do you expect us to do?
Watch in silence while a corrupt regime devours its people? Where do we go when the government is the one hunting us down? Ruto, Lagat, National Police Service... what exactly do you want from the people?
The incident comes amid a broader national reckoning over police accountability, particularly in how law enforcement handles peaceful demonstrations.