After more than 400 days of living in pain, Samuel Kinyanjui can finally breathe easier.

On Wednesday, a successful surgery at Ladnan Hospital in Pangani, Nairobi, removed the bullet that had been lodged in his body since he was shot by police during the Gen Z demonstrations on June 16, 2024.

The bullet had entered through his right foot and settled in his gluteal region, preventing him from working and forcing him to rely entirely on friends for support.

“Today is my happiest day because I have been yearning for this moment,” Kinyanjui said after the 20-minute procedure. “I know that with the bullet’s removal, the side effects will diminish. It was a straightforward surgery, and I’m relieved the bullet is finally out of my body.”

The discovery that he had carried an intact bullet for more than a year confirmed his doubts about earlier treatment. Kinyanjui expressed shock at the hospital’s previous claims that fragments had been removed during surgery on July 16, 2024.

“What Kenyatta National Hospital told me was untrue. The bullet remained intact — completely whole as it was when it entered my body,” he said.

The prolonged ordeal has had a heavy physical and financial toll. Unable to work, Kinyanjui depended on friends like Kevin Njiiri, who is also recovering from injuries caused by police action, for accommodation and daily support.

“I remain hopeful that Ipoa will deliver justice,” Kinyanjui said. “I still require artificial hip replacement surgery, and with mounting medical bills and my inability to work until fully healed, I desperately need assistance. I trust Ipoa will hold the responsible officer accountable.”

Njiiri called for open dialogue between the government and youth whose grievances led to the demonstrations.

“Our nation’s wounds remain open. We hope truth will speak to power, delivering the accountability, economic justice and anti-corruption measures we demanded, in honour of patriots like Samuel and other victims,” he said.

Dr Edward Sang, the orthopaedic surgeon who performed the operation, noted that bureaucratic hurdles had delayed the procedure.

The surgery, initially scheduled for Monday, August 11, was postponed after Kasarani Police Station refused to issue the required police abstract. Dr Sang stressed that Kinyanjui will need regular follow-ups to monitor his recovery.

Ipoa investigative officer Emmanuel Lagat, present during the surgery, expressed confidence that the bullet will serve as key evidence in the ongoing investigation.

Vocal Africa Rapid Response Officer Ojiambo Ojiro criticised the government’s approach to compensation, arguing that monetary payouts alone are insufficient.

“Compensation must start with acknowledging what type of redress victims actually want,” Ojiro said.

“Some fought for better education—their compensation could be educational scholarships. We reject imposed compensation ideologies. We demand genuine redress that definitively ends police brutality.”