Nominated Senator Karen Nyamu has stirred strong reactions after publicly commenting on the shocking police shooting of a hawker during anti-government protests in Nairobi. On her Facebook page, Nyamu posted a graphic video of the June 17 incident, where a police officer is seen firing at the unarmed man at close range. The video, which has since gone viral, shows the officer initially hesitating, seemingly concerned he might hit a colleague, before walking up and shooting the hawker point blank.
Deeply disturbed, Nyamu captioned the clip with emotional outrage: “Guys, what is this!! What do you even call this!!?” She then questioned whether the attack was random or targeted. “I always try to think outside the box. But today, you tell me, was he targeted? Was this a random occurrence? Please, pray for him as he fights for his life,” she wrote, ending with the hashtag #EndPoliceBrutality.
Her post was met with an outpouring of anger and questions. But what triggered the most online criticism was her claim in the comments that President William Ruto was “as furious as we are” about the incident. This response came after a user suggested she should be directing her concern to the head of state.
Netizens didn’t hold back. Many questioned how Nyamu could speak on behalf of the president and demanded an official statement from Ruto himself.
One user, Ruthey Ruthie, asked, “In whose hands are we safe? Ruto akiulizwa mwenyewe anasema aje?”
Another, Lisa de Sammy, responded, “Furious, you say? Mbona yeye hajaongea? Mungu aliye juu anaona haya yote.”
More than 12 hours after the incident, President Ruto had not publicly addressed the shooting of Boniface Kariuki or the broader allegations of police brutality during recent protests. Instead, he was seen attending events in Naivasha and hosting Kisumu County officials at State House.
In contrast, ordinary Kenyans flooded his social media pages, demanding answers and action. Nyamu, seemingly shifting tone from earlier controversial remarks regarding the death of blogger Albert Ojwang, also urged Ruto to ensure justice is served and that Ojwang’s family receives proper compensation.
By Risper Akinyi
