Saba Saba tragedy: 12-year-old Bridgit Njoki killed by stray bullet while watching TV
Njoki's death adds to the growing number of Kenyans who have been killed by stray bullets despite not participating in the protests.
Bridgit Njoki Wainaina, a Grade Seven pupil, was shot and killed by a suspected police bullet while sitting at home in Ndumberi, Kiambu County, on Monday evening during the Saba Saba protests.
According to her mother, Lucy Ngugi, the 12-year-old girl was watching television around 6:20 pm when gunfire erupted nearby.
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A bullet pierced their living room wall and struck her daughter in the head.
"When I turned around, I saw my daughter with blood on her hands and thought she had suffered an electric shock. But as I touched her to find out where she was bleeding, she suddenly became weak and collapsed to the floor," she said on Tuesday.
Still unaware of what had happened, Njoki’s mother was puzzled by how suddenly her daughter’s energy had faded.
"It's then that I saw a bullet hole in her head and I started screaming," she recalled amid tears.
Lucy immediately called her husband for help in rushing their daughter to the hospital.
"He came, and with the help of neighbours, well-wishers, and the community, we rushed her to St Brigid's Hospital. There, doctors scanned her and found a bullet lodged in her head. They said it had penetrated her skull and brain," she recalled.
Njoki’s mother, Lucy Ngugi, breaks down in tears as she recounts how her daughter was killed by a stray bullet inside their home in Ndumberi on Monday. (Photo: Mary Wambui)
Dead
Her daughter died the same evening while receiving treatment.
Her house is located approximately two kilometres from the main road where the protests were taking place.
Njoki's death adds to that of many Kenyans who, even though not engaged in protests, have died from stray bullets.
Another victim
Another victim, Dennis Mutuma Mwangi, 23, was shot dead outside his home in Kiambu town.
His mother, Friday Kawira, tearfully stated that her son was shot from the back, meaning he was running away when the bullet hit him and exited via the neck, killing him instantly right outside her home.
She insists her son was not protesting but had just stepped outside to see what was happening after washing his clothes.
Shot in the head
On his part, Laban Kamau was also shot in the head in Ndumberi village.
"Ndumberi is a village and not a town centre. We were shocked to see such protests, which have left me without a son, and it is so paiful since my son is not a criminal to be gunned down like that," his mother, Margaret Wangui, said as she expressed her shock at the killing of her son.
The victims' families are demanding justice, compensation, and an independent investigation into the use of live bullets by police.
They are protesting being forced to cover unexpected mortuary and post-mortem costs at Kiambu Level Five Hospital, despite their loved ones’ deaths being linked to police shootings.
Hospital bills
The families are calling on the government to cover hospital bills and burial expenses, stressing that the killings were unjustified, as police used live bullets to disperse protestors.
The violence also injured 18-year-old student Kevin Muiruri, who was shot in the left leg while fleeing the chaos in Kabete constituency. He says police left him bleeding at the scene until well-wishers came to his aid and took him to the hospital.
Former Kiambu MP Jude Njomo, who visited the grieving families, also demanded an independent investigation into the shootings.
"How can the police who have killed the young people investigate themselves? We need international bodies to investigate and give the dead who were shot by police justice," he stated.
He also criticised the police for allegedly downplaying the number of casualties, noting that the official report listed only one death in Kiambu, while families had confirmed six fatalities — a discrepancy he described as deliberate and misleading.
Goons
The affected families also raised concerns about the alleged use of "goons" by authorities in the Mt Kenya region, claiming that police target innocent young people who are not involved in looting or throwing stones, instead of the agitators.
The National Police Service confirmed that at least 11 people died across the country following Monday's Saba Saba protests.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) which had been monitoring the protests said at least 29 people were injured in the protests across 17 counties.
The number of casualties is expected to rise as previously unreported cases emerge, including two individuals who succumbed to bullet wounds in Mwea and Kagumo, Kirinyaga County.
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