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Relief at last: Bullet removed from protester after 400 days
What you need to know:
- Despite the successful extraction, Dr Sang emphasised that Kinyanjui requires ongoing monitoring through regular check-ups.
- Ipoa’s investigative officer Emmanuel Lagat, who accompanied Kinyanjui to hospital, expressed confidence in the investigation’s progression now that the bullet evidence has been secured.
A successful surgical procedure on Wednesday has finally provided Samuel Kinyanjui with the crucial evidence he needs in his pursuit of justice—the intact bullet that had remained lodged in his body for more than 400 days.
Mr Kinyanjui was shot by police on June 16, 2024, during the Gen Z demonstrations.
The bullet, which penetrated his right foot before settling in his gluteal region, has fundamentally altered his life, costing him his livelihood and forcing him into dependence.
Samuel Kinyanjui shows the point at which a bullet penetrated his right foot before settling in his gluteal region during the Gen Z protests of June 16, 2024,
“Today is my happiest day because I have been yearning for this moment,” Kinyanjui told the Nation following the 20-minute procedure at Ladnan Hospital in Pangani, Nairobi.
“I know that with the bullet’s removal, the side effects will diminish. It was a straightforward surgery, and I’m relieved the bullet is finally out of my body.”
The operation’s success has vindicated Kinyanjui on his long-held suspicions about his initial treatment.
He expressed shock at discovering he had been living with a complete bullet for over 400 days, casting serious doubt on Kenyatta National Hospital’s claims of removing bullet fragments during his first admission and surgery on July 16, 2024.
“What Kenyatta National Hospital told me was untrue. The bullet remained intact — completely whole as it was when it entered my body,” he said.
The physical and economic toll has been devastating.
The bullet’s presence in his body cost him his employment, rendering him entirely dependent on the goodwill of friends such as Kevin Njiiri, who is himself recovering from police-inflicted injuries.
Samuel Kinyanjui holds up an X-ray image showing a bullet that had been lodged in his body for more than 400 days after he was shot by the police during Gen Z protests in June 2024.
“I remain hopeful that Ipoa [Independent Policing Oversight Authority] will deliver justice,” Kinyanjui said. “I still require artificial hip replacement surgery, and with mounting medical bills and my inability to work until fully healed, I desperately need assistance. I trust Ipoa will hold the responsible officer accountable.”
Njiiri, who has been providing accommodation whilst undergoing his own therapy, called for meaningful dialogue between authorities and the youth whose grievances sparked the demonstrations.
“Our nation’s wounds remain open. We hope truth will speak to power, delivering the accountability, economic justice and anti-corruption measures we demanded, in honour of patriots like Samuel and other victims,” he said.
Dr Edward Sang, the orthopaedic and trauma surgeon who performed the procedure, revealed that bureaucratic obstacles had repeatedly delayed the operation.
Originally scheduled for Monday, August 11, the surgery was postponed as Kinyanjui lacked a police abstract—a document that proved elusive after Kasarani Police Station refused to take his case.
Despite the successful extraction, Dr Sang emphasised that Kinyanjui requires ongoing monitoring through regular check-ups.
Ipoa’s investigative officer Emmanuel Lagat, who accompanied Kinyanjui to hospital, expressed confidence in the investigation’s progression now that the bullet evidence has been secured.
Samuel Kinyanjui in a pensive mood during an interview on June 20, 2025. He was shot in the leg by the police during the Gen Z protests of June 16, 2024,
Vocal Africa Rapid Response Officer Ojiambo Ojiro, also present during the procedure, challenged the government’s approach to victim compensation.
He criticised the monetary focus of President William Ruto’s recently announced compensation framework, demanding instead that those responsible for killing and injuring protesters begin with formal apologies.
“Compensation must start with acknowledging what type of redress victims actually want,” Mr Ojiro argued.
“Some fought for better education—their compensation could be educational scholarships. We reject imposed compensation ideologies. We demand genuine redress that definitively ends police brutality.”
