Kenyans living with scars of police brutality during protests across the country have recounted the incidents that changed their lives, with dreams shattered.
For Peterson Munyi, a resident of Kagio town in Kirinyaga County, his experience is beyond the physical scar. It’s a reminder that one’s life can be ruined within minutes, leaving the victim with trauma and permanent emotional drain.
Munyi, 44, is now one of the victims of protests and can’t go about his normal business after a policeman’s bullet ripped through his left leg, leaving him seriously injured.
Peterson Munyi who was shot and seriously wounded last year during Saba Saba protests in Kirinyaga County.
Photo credit: Geoarge Munene| NMG
On that day, Munyi opened his butchery as usual, but was worried about a planned demonstration.
The protests began at around midday and fearing looting, he hurriedly shut his business, with some customers running away even before settling their bills as youths poured into the streets and engaged police in running battles.
After he secured his business with reinforced steel doors, he mingled with protesters as he sought an escape route home. In the pandemonium that ensued, he was caught up in the crossfire when police opened fire.
Then he felt a sharp pain in his left leg below the knee. A bullet had hit him, exiting through the other side of the leg.
As he lay down writhing in pain, good Samaritans rescued and took him to the nearby pharmacy, where he was administered first aid and later taken to Kagio Nursing Hospital where he was admitted for treatment and spent six months. Then came the shocker of his life when he was discharged.
“I escaped death by the grace of God. The bullet hit caused multiple fractures in the bone and I had to undergo surgery,” recalled Munyi.
He went on: “The injury destroyed my life since my family broke up. My wife left home with our two children because I could not provide for them and I was left without a family. I shelved my plans as the business collapsed a few weeks after I was shot...I have now been reduced to a pauper and without a family,” Munyi told the Nation on June 28, 2026 in an interview at Kagio town. He demanded that the State compensate him for the injury he suffered and the subsequent effects.
On June 3, 2026, Munyi registered his complaints with the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR).
He narrated his ordeal to the KNCHR officials, saying he underwent suffering yet he was an innocent businessman in town.
He demanded that proper investigations be carried out to expose the officer who shot him for no reason at all.
“The officer should be sought and criminal charges preferred against him,” he said.
Prof Marion Mutugi, a KNCHR commissioner, reiterated that no one was above the law and all those officers who shot and maimed Kenyans caught up in anti-government protests should be investigated and prosecuted.
“We have had an outpouring response when we asked people who had been shot and injured to register their complaints,” said Prof Mutugi.
She stressed that the law does not allow use of excessive force by police during protests, pointing out that it was against the law.
She maintained that criminal proceedings should be commenced and those found accountable be made to face the rule of law.
