A family in Kirinyaga County is demanding justice after a police officer allegedly killed their Kin, Brian Maina, during the Gen Z protests on June 25, 2025.
Speaking in a media interview on Wednesday, June 2, 2025, Brian Maina’s mother said that police took advantage of the media blackout effected by the government and unleashed brutality on protesters.
Brian, who was a resident of Umoja, Nairobi, had joined other youth in the Nairobi CBD to participate in the protests.
“He left Umoja and said he wanted to join other Gen Zs to remember those who were killed last year. When the media was switched off at around 2 p.m., that’s when our children suffered. That’s when I heard that my son had been hurt,” the mother said.
How He Died During Gen Z Protests
According to the family, police lobbed tear gas at the crowd as Brian and other youthful Kenyans were protesting. He was reportedly overwhelmed by the gas and collapsed. A police officer then hit him at the back of the head with a baton, causing a skull fracture.
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The family laments that no arrests have been made following Brian’s death.
“I have been wronged by the government. He was not a criminal. He had nothing to fight the police with — only water, a flag, and his phone,” the mother added.
Duale Waives Bill for Protesters
The family’s demand for justice comes amid a rising number of police brutality cases. Recent incidents include the death of Albert Ojwang, who died in a police cell after being transferred from Homa Bay to Nairobi, and Boniface Mwangi Kariuki, a face mask vendor who succumbed to injuries at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) on June 30, 2025.
Kariuki was shot in the head at close range by a police officer along Moi Avenue, near Imenti House, during the June 17 protests that called for the resignation of Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat over Ojwang’s death.
Also Read: Matiang’i Warns Ruto on Handling Gen Z Protests
On July 1, 2025, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale announced that the government would waive medical bills for all those injured during the Gen Z-led protests on June 17 and 25, 2025.
Kariuki’s hospital bill of Ksh 815,805 at KNH was covered through the hospital’s Disaster Emergency Fund, following public outcry over the government’s handling of the protests.
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