IPOA Identifies Police Officer Who Shot Anti-Fuel Protestor
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has identified a police officer involved in one of the fatal shootings that occurred during the nationwide fuel price demonstrations from May 18 to 19.
According to an IPOA public statement dated May 30, witnesses told investigators that on May 18, a single armed officer, believed to be in a Kenya Prisons Service uniform, fired the shot that killed Martin Rigii Karuu in Kiambu town.
The victim was among demonstrators near Full Gospel Churches of Kenya in the Mburerie region when he was struck around 1:00 p.m. and taken to a nearby hospital for emergency care.
IPOA investigators processed the scene, interviewed witnesses, and obtained CCTV footage from a nearby business that may help clarify what happened during the chaotic moments.
For Immediate Release: IPOA brief on various investigations arising from fuel price hike protests. ^DD pic.twitter.com/0yhtZflfvw— IPOA (@IPOA_KE) May 30, 2026
“Investigators processed and documented the scene and obtained CCTV footage from a nearby business premises,” stated IPOA.
“Preliminary witness accounts indicate involvement of a single armed officer believed to have been dressed in a Kenya Prisons Service uniform.”
Doctors attended to him, but he was pronounced dead about forty minutes after arriving at the facility. His body was later moved to St. Theresa Hospital Mortuary in Thindigua.
A post-mortem confirmed that Karuu died from a single gunshot wound that ruptured his lung and fractured several ribs, injuries consistent with a high-velocity projectile.
Separately, IPOA is also investigating the death of 23-year-old Brian Ndung’u Njung’e, who was found hanging inside a cell at Kiambu Police Station on May 21, hours after being arrested over a suspected theft case.
A post-mortem established the cause of death as asphyxia due to neck compression consistent with ligature strangulation, with suicide confirmed.
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IPOA is now reviewing whether officers followed proper custodial supervision procedures.
In Nakuru County, IPOA is pursuing multiple cases stemming from the same protests, including the deaths of Charles Kigaa Waiganjo and David Chege, who were fatally shot in Naivasha during the demonstrations.
Three more people, identified as James Mwangi, Patrick Githinji, and a man known only as Solomon, were also fatally shot in Molo, Nakuru County, and their cases are part of the ongoing probe.
IPOA added that it is also investigating the death of an unidentified person in Mwari, Nakuru County, as part of the broader crackdown on accountability for what happened during the nationwide protests.
The investigative body said it will provide periodic updates and assured the public that all investigations are being conducted independently and impartially.
IPOA Identifies Police Officer Who Shot Anti-Fuel Protestor
