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This article highlights an incident that occurred in the city of Nakuru, Kenya, during protests against a finance bill. Police opened fire on a group of journalists, injuring one of them, Catherine Wangeri Kariuki. The article examines the details of the incident, the government’s response, and the importance of protecting freedom of speech amid political tension in Kenya.
Kenyan journalist Catherine Wanjeri Kariuki was injured by three bullets fired by police while she was covering protests in Nakuru. She was wearing a bright yellow hoodie under a beige vest with the words “PRESS” written on it.
Kariuki works as a reporter for Kameme TV and Mediamax. During the incident, she was standing with other journalists at an intersection in the city center when the police opened fire at close range.
Fire was fired from less-lethal weapons used for crowd control. However, depending on the application, such weapons can pose a serious threat to life.
Video from the scene, taken on July 16, shows a police officer shooting at a group of eight unarmed people, including several journalists, from a moving car.
The use of force by the police in this case appears to violate several provisions of the Kenya National Police Service Act. According to the sixth schedule of the Act, the police must first try to use non-violent methods, and only if they are ineffective, force can be used. In addition, the force must be proportionate to the situation, and in the case of injuries, the police are obliged to provide immediate medical assistance, otherwise it is considered a crime.
The police officer who fired the shots has not yet been identified, although the video shows the man sitting in the driver’s seat of a car with license plate number GKB905Y.
More than 40 people have died since protests against the finance bill began in June this year. Kenya’s police chief has resigned over police response to protests, but holding officers accountable for brutality remains a challenge. Organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly documented cases of excessive use of force by the police, but the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) faces difficulties in ensuring that the perpetrators are convicted.
Nakuru County Police Commander Samuel Ndani described the incident in which Kariuki was injured as “unfortunate”, denying that police fired from a vehicle at journalists. He said the matter has been referred to the IPOA for investigation.
Kariuki called for a thorough investigation to prevent similar incidents from happening again. She noted that journalists should no longer be targeted by the police.
While there have been more fatal incidents during the protests in Kenya, the video of this incident shows how police weapons were used to injure a journalist who posed no threat.
Large-scale street protests that began in Nairobi on June 18 quickly spread across the country as citizens took to the streets to voice their displeasure at the tax hikes included in the finance bill.
At least 23 people died as a result of clashes near the parliament in Nairobi. The protests did not stop even after Prime Minister William Ruto withdrew the bill and dismissed most of his cabinet. According to Kenya’s National Human Rights Commission, at least 50 people have died since the protests began.
On the day Kariuki was shot, protesters gathered in the center of Nakuru, Kenya’s third-largest city.
Protesters began gathering on Kenyatta Avenue on Tuesday morning, marching through the streets with whistles and vuvuzelas. The Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) and police were also present on the streets. In late June, additional KDF forces were sent to Nakuru to guard government offices and were seen in camouflage, along with some police.
KTN News’ live coverage showed a small group of protesters speaking to the media outside the Faulu Microfinance Bank at the intersection of Kenyatta Avenue and Pandit Nehru Road at 1:55pm local time.
Local media also showed footage of police firing tear gas to disperse demonstrators along Kenyatta Avenue.
During the day, journalists were present at the intersection of Kenyatta Avenue and Pandit Nehru Road in central Nakuru. Video shows a small number of protesters, and traffic in the area continued around 2:00 p.m.
About an hour later, the video showed four policemen on horseback turning onto Kenyatta Avenue and heading north along Pandit Nehru Road.
At least two videos captured the exact moment of the shooting – from slightly different angles.One video was shot among journalists in front of Faulu Microfinance Bank, the other from the opposite side of the intersection.
In the video, mounted police can be seen entering Pandit Nehru Road, followed by a police car with license plate GKB905Y.
The car then continues straight east on Kenyatta Avenue for another block before stopping at a Total Energies gas station and making a U-turn. The number “226” can be seen under the car’s side mirror.
Between Faulu Bank and the Total Energies gas station, where the police car made a U-turn, many shops appear to be closed. The street is mostly empty except for a large number of KDF troops patrolling the area.
In addition to the police and KDF forces, footage and images show that several journalists were located at the intersection of Kenyatta Avenue and Pandita Nehru, particularly in front of Faulu Bank, here: -0.283751, 36.073842 – several journalists stood with their notebooks and cameras.
Two of them, including Kariuki, were wearing distinctive press jackets, and another was holding a television camera. Kariuki can be seen in a yellow hoodie and beige vest moments before the shot, as the jeep drives past for the first time.
None of the eight people standing in front of Faulu Bank are armed and do not appear to pose a threat to the KDF or the police.
The footage shows several armed KDF soldiers walking alongside the journalists outside Faulu Bank, and they do not appear to feel threatened by the crowd gathered on the corner.
Just before GKB905Y made a turn, the camera caught a shot from behind it. It was probably made by a passenger sitting directly behind the driver, although it is impossible to make out the shooter’s face.
After the shot, the car turns onto Pandit Nehru Road and footage from across the street shows Kariuki in a yellow hoodie and vest falling to his knees.
Meanwhile, in a video taken near Faulu Bank, a police officer behind the wheel can be seen raising his visor, presumably to get a better view of the situation. The officer responsible for the shooting could not be identified.
Before leaving the spot, the police car fires a third shot while moving along Pandit Nehru Road.
As Kariuki falls to the ground, the camera zooms in, showing at least two entrance wounds on her left thigh.
A second man wearing jeans and a brown jacket, who is seen standing next to Kariuki, can also be seen on the ground, also believed to have suffered a gunshot wound. However, his injuries cannot be clearly seen in the footage.
Both Kariuuki and the man were put on motorcycles and drove away from the scene.
In the GKB905Y police car, four police officers can be seen sitting in the back, some of them wearing helmets with the words “Police” on them.
At least two officers are armed with similar weapons — older model tear gas launchers. The video shows the characteristic white canisters loaded into these devices, and at various points in the frame, tear gas can be seen being released from the vehicle.
The person sitting directly behind the driver is difficult to make out, and the weapon they were carrying is not visible. However, the footage clearly shows the trace of a shot from this place. Measurements show that the shot was fired from a distance of less than ten meters. Images of the three bullets removed from Kariuki’s leg at the hospital suggest they were weapons that fire pellets or rubber bullets.
Kariuki’s post-operative medical report from the Provincial General Hospital indicates that she suffered three penetrating wounds to her left thigh from the gunshot.
Amnesty International’s document on the use of kinetic weapons such as rubber bullets emphasizes that such weapons should only be used in exceptional cases and should be considered as a last resort, just below lethal weapons. The use of this weapon is justified only to prevent serious injury to another person.
The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), after reviewing a video of the shooting, said the use of force violated national and international standards, including the UN’s Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms. Ernest Cornell, head of communications for the KHRC, said these actions violate international principles and laws that protect freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.
Cornell stressed that the shooting of journalists and other civilians threatens their rights and that the Kenyan police should reconsider their actions during the protests. He also called for the suspension of the officer in charge pending an investigation and stressed the need for managers to be held accountable if they are found to be complicit in wrongdoing.
The KHRC is calling on the IPOA to conduct swift investigations into police misconduct, stressing the importance of a systemic approach to the problem rather than just punishing individual officers.
Kariuki said protesters had gathered in a small part of the city and she was moving between Kenyatta Avenue and other main roads when she was shot.
She had already been tear gassed earlier that day, but she considered it an accident because she was with the police.
She had been reporting from the scene for about two hours when she was shot dead outside Faulu Bank, where only journalists and a few policemen were present.
Kariuki appealed to the IPOA for an investigation, expressing concern that the process could drag on and those responsible could escape punishment. She emphasized the importance of protecting the freedom of the press, noting that she is not the only journalist who has suffered.
The Nakuru County Police Commander, Samuel Ndani, said he had not seen the video of the shooting and denied that police fired from a car at the journalists. According to him, the police were sent to the place to disperse the protesters, and he described the incident as “unfortunate”. Ndani also said the matter has been referred to the IPOA for investigation, but could not respond to questions about compliance with the rules on the use of force and the suspension of the officer.
The International East African Press Association said at least three journalists were injured while covering the protests in Nairobi.
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