NAIROBI, Kenya — The streets of Nairobi have once again become the center of a national reckoning. This time, the catalyst is Philip Oketch — a university student shot during Monday’s protests — and the haunting video of a street vendor gunned down in broad daylight on Moi Avenue.
By Tuesday morning, Kenyatta University students issued a fiery statement. In a memo, the Kenyatta University Students Association (KUSA) declared their outrage, describing the shooting of Oketch as another chapter in what they called “opression by government through the police.”
KUSA Secretary General Zadock Nyakwaka condemned the act “in the strongest terms possible” and pledged solidarity with all victims of recent violence.
The same protests — initially sparked by the controversial death of blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang in police custody — descended into chaos.
Then came the video. In a clip now burned into Kenya’s collective conscience, two anti-riot officers are seen assaulting a young street vendor selling masks before one fires a shot to his head at close range.
That man is now in critical condition at Kenyatta National Hospital, having undergone emergency neurosurgery, according to Health Director-General Dr. Patrick Amoth.
Calls for Justice Amplified
From university campuses to city streets, citizens are demanding more than apologies.
Meanwhile, demonstrations continue to swell, many led by Kenya’s youth who say they’re tired of watching justice stall. Tired of being the ones shot, beaten, or silenced.
“This country is ours, and Kenya is ours,” read the KUSA memo. “Let’s rise in its defence and defend the rule of law.”
It’s a message that echoes beyond campus — a call to action that may shape the next chapter of Kenya’s long battle for justice and police reform.
