Grief as postmortem confirms gunshot killed 41-year-old man during Kirinyaga protest

Emotions ran high during the postmortem of James Muriithi Kamoni, a 41-year-old man who was fatally shot during the Saba Saba protests in Makutano, Mwea, Kirinyaga County.

According to the government pathologist, the postmortem revealed that Muriithi died from a gunshot wound to the stomach and excessive internal bleeding.

He succumbed to his injuries on July 9, 2025, at Kenyatta National Hospital, where he had been transferred from White Rose Private Hospital in Mutithi. He had been in the Intensive Care Unit since the shooting incident.

Muriithi’s wife, Jane Njeri Muriithi, who is now seeking justice for her late husband, said he was shot by officers from the Makutano Police Station, located near the Kirinyaga–Embu border in Mbeere South.

The family has decried the difficulty they faced in obtaining a police Occurrence Book (OB) number from the Makutano Police Station. Bernard Gikunju Ndung’u, the deceased's cousin and family spokesperson, claimed that officers at the station initially denied them access to the OB report. "We were only able to get the OB number last night after the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) intervened," said Gikunju.

Muriithi’s mother, Janet Wangari Kamoni, broke down in tears as she recounted her son’s final moments. She insisted that Muriithi was not participating in the protests at the time of the shooting. “My son was killed while buying a sack to pack cabbages. He sold cabbages at the Makutano market,” she said.

James Muriithi Kamoni was laid to rest in Makutano. A detective from Mwea Sub-County in Mbeere South, who attended the burial, informed the family that a public inquest into the incident would be opened. The family has been advised to report to Karaba Police Station on Friday to record statements.

The family is now calling on the government to take swift action and hold accountable those responsible for Muriithi’s death.