Boniface Kariuki, the hawker who was shot during recent protests, died from severe brain injuries caused by a bullet, with a post-mortem revealing at least four fragments deeply embedded in his brain.

The autopsy, conducted on Thursday at the Kenyatta National Hospital Funeral Home by government pathologist Dr Peter Ndegwa, confirmed that Kariuki sustained extensive brain damage from the shot fired at close range.

"We concluded that he died due to a severe head injury. The brain was extensively damaged. We found four small bullet fragments, possibly rubber, lodged deep in the brain tissue," said Dr Ndegwa.

He explained that the fragments may have been missed during earlier surgery because of their size and position.
“The chances of survival were minimal, and there was a lot of bleeding,” he added.

The report, compiled with the assistance of another government pathologist, Dr Bernard Midia, indicated that in addition to the four fragments found during the autopsy, doctors had earlier managed to remove two others while Kariuki was still alive.

The post-mortem also verified the accuracy of a video showing a police officer firing at close range and striking Kariuki in the head. The findings concluded that the single shot caused fatal trauma to the skull and brain.

Officers from the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) attended the post-mortem and are now expected to complete their investigations and hand over the findings to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The family, now preparing for Kariuki’s burial on July 11 in Kangema, Murang’a County, plans to transfer the body to Kenyatta University Funeral Home.

Family spokesperson Emily Wanjira said they were shocked by the discovery of the four additional bullet fragments.
“It is a shock to us that there were more fragments. We knew two had been removed earlier, and now there are four more,” she said.

Wanjira revealed that the family had attended a session at Milimani Law Courts earlier in the week, but the hearing was postponed to allow for more investigations.
“We will bury him and deal with the case later. The case has now been reclassified as murder. That is where we are so far,” she said.

She also appealed for public support to help the family clear the pending medical and funeral bills.

Kariuki passed away on the afternoon of June 30, after spending over a week in intensive care. His sister had earlier disclosed that he had been declared brain dead due to the extent of his injuries.

President William Ruto donated Sh1 million to the family, with Kangema MP Peter Irungu Kihungi delivering the support on his behalf.