Twelve-year-old Bridgit Njoki had just finished her homework and settled on the couch to watch television when a stray bullet pierced the walls of her family home in Ndumberi village, Kiambu County. Moments later, she lay lifeless in a pool of blood — an innocent victim of the deadly police crackdown during Saba Saba Day protests on Monday, June 7.
Her devastated mother, Lucy Ngugi, recalls the moment that shattered her family.
“It was around 6:20 p.m. We were at home as a family when a stray bullet penetrated our house and caught my daughter on the head,” she said through tears.
“Our home is two kilometres from the main road where the protests were happening. How can a bullet travel that far to kill a child in her own home?”
Bridgit died while doctors at St. Brigid’s Hospital were attempting to resuscitate her.
She was among six victims fatally shot by police in Kiambu during the nationwide demonstrations marked annually on July 7, a day traditionally used to demand greater civic freedoms and government accountability.
The killings have sparked outrage and renewed scrutiny over the police’s use of force during civil protests. Families of the victims are now demanding justice, compensation, and an independent investigation into the conduct of police officers.
“He Was Just Curious”
In Kiambu town, Dennis Mutuma Mwangi, 23, was shot outside his house.
His mother, Friday Kawira, described how her son had gone outside briefly after doing laundry.
“He was shot from the back. The bullet came through to the neck, killing him instantly. That tells you he was running away — not protesting,” she said.
Village Not a Battlefield
Another victim, Laban Kamau, was shot in the head in Ndumberi. His mother, Margaret Wangui, voiced her disbelief:
“Ndumberi is a village, not a town centre. We were shocked to see such protests. It is so hurtful because my son was not a criminal to be gunned down like that.”
The families are also bearing the burden of mortuary and post-mortem charges at Kiambu Level Five Hospital. They are urging the government to cover the costs of medical care, funerals, and burials.
“These impromptu killings were uncalled for. Why were live bullets used to disperse protesters?” one relative asked.
Others Injured
The violence also left Kevin Muiruri, 18, with a gunshot wound in his left leg after being caught in the chaos while fleeing in Kabete constituency.
Political Reactions and Calls for International Probe
Former Kiambu MP Jude Njomo visited the grieving families and demanded an independent, possibly international investigation into the killings.
“How can the police who have killed the young people investigate themselves? We need international bodies to intervene and give the dead justice,” he said.
Njomo also criticised law enforcement for underreporting the deaths.
“They claimed there was only one death in Kiambu. Yet six families have lost loved ones. Are these children invisible?”
As funeral arrangements begin, Bridgit Njoki’s schoolbooks remain untouched on the table where she left them. Her mother holds onto her daughter’s last drawing — a heart coloured in red and orange, with the words “Mum, I love you” scribbled beneath.
Now, Lucy Ngugi wants only one thing.
“I want my daughter to be the last child to die like this. Let there be justice — not just for Bridgit, but for all the lives lost.”