Kiambu County is in mourning following the deaths of six residents, including a 12-year-old girl, during the Saba Saba Day protests on Monday, June 2025. The victims were reportedly killed by police using live bullets to disperse protestors. Families of the deceased are demanding justice, compensation, and an independent probe into the police conduct.
One of the youngest victims, 12-year-old Bridgit Njoki, was shot while watching television at her home in Ndumberi village two kilometers away from the protest site. Her mother, Lucy Ngugi, recounted the heartbreaking moment when a stray bullet pierced their house and fatally struck her daughter on the head. Njoki died while doctors attempted to resuscitate her at St. Brigid’s Hospital.
In Kiambu town, 23-year-old Dennis Mutuma Mwangi was gunned down just outside his home. According to his mother, Friday Kawira, Mwangi was not participating in the protest but had stepped out after doing laundry. “He was shot from the back, through the neck—clearly running away,” she said.
Another victim, Laban Kamau of Ndumberi village, was shot in the head. His mother, Margaret Wangui, expressed disbelief at the violence in a peaceful village setting. “Ndumberi is not a hotspot. My son was not a criminal,” she said through tears.
Families are also burdened by hospital and mortuary fees at Kiambu Level Five Hospital and are calling on the government to cover the costs of post-mortems and burials. They say the shootings were unjustified and avoidable.
Eighteen-year-old Kevin Muiruri, who sustained a gunshot wound to his leg in Kabete constituency, is recovering, adding to the list of injured victims.
Former Kiambu MP Jude Njomo, who visited grieving families, called for an independent, possibly international, investigation. “The police cannot investigate themselves,” he stated, also criticizing authorities for downplaying the death toll, which families claim stands at six.
As outrage grows, the affected families and human rights advocates are calling for accountability, a public inquiry, and urgent reforms to prevent further police brutality in Kenya.
