Klinzy Masinde Baraza, the police officer accused of fatally shooting face mask vendor Boniface Kariuki Mwangi in Nairobi on June 17, appeared before a Nairobi court looking nothing like the confident, uniformed officer seen weeks earlier.
He was visibly shaken, tearful, and flanked only by family. There was no sign of official support from the National Police Service. No bosses. No spokesmen. No solidarity. Just silence.
This image of a broken officer should send a chilling message to rogue and overzealous officers across the country. When you pull the trigger, you will stand alone.
Boniface, a young father and hustler, was allegedly shot during peaceful protests. Witnesses say he was not violent, he was not armed, he was only trying to make a living selling face masks to passing demonstrators.
But Officer Baraza’s case is not just about a life lost. It is about a system that empowers violence then abandons those who carry it out.
Edited photos of the late face mask vendor Boniface Kariuki being shot by Barasa. Photo: mpasho.co.ke Source: Facebook
On June 9, President William Ruto publicly urged police officers to shoot violent protesters in the leg to stop destruction. But now, as Baraza faces murder charges, the President is silent. Those who issued such reckless directives are nowhere to be seen.
They will not visit the dock with you. They will not write affidavits for you. They will not sit beside your children when they ask why daddy is in jail.
This is the tragic truth every officer must understand. Orders that violate the law will not shield you from justice. What happened to Boniface Kariuki must never happen again. And what is now happening to Baraza must be a lesson to those who think state power is a license to kill.
Use your gun wisely. Because when the courtroom calls, you will answer alone.
