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| Klinzy Barasa Pleads Not Guilty in Mask Vendor Boniface Kariuki’s Murder Case. |
Published: July 28, 2025
Nairobi, Kenya – A Kenyan police officer accused of fatally shooting a street vendor has pleaded not guily.
Klinzy Barasa Masinde appeared before the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi on Monday, following a mental evaluation that cleared him to stand trial. He is charged with the killing of Boniface Kariuki Mwangi, an unarmed hawker who was shot at close range on June 17 during nationwide demonstrations against extrajudicial killings.
The court directed state prosecutors to file a bail application within seven days. The family of the deceased has been granted the same period to respond to the motion.
Sarah Mwea, Assistant Director of Investigations at the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), recommended the death penalty should Barasa be found guilty. IPOA has also urged the court to carry out a threat assessment for two key witnesses in the case, citing concerns for their safety.
Footage from the day of the incident shows Masinde and fellow officer Duncan Kiprono confronting and violently handling Kariuki along Nairobi’s Moi Avenue. The unarmed vendor was shot shortly after the altercation. Despite being rushed to the hospital, Kariuki was found to have four bullet fragments lodged in his brain. Pathologists later indicated that his brain function may have ceased days before his death was officially confirmed.
The shooting sparked national outrage, intensifying calls for police accountability and further protests across the country. While both officers were initially interdicted following the incident, the Director of Public Prosecutions later cleared Kiprono of any wrongdoing, and no murder charges were filed against him.
The case marks a high-profile test of Kenya’s commitment to curbing police violence, amid growing public scrutiny of law enforcement agencies.
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