What was meant to be a normal Saturday evening in Huruma, Nairobi County, turned into a nightmare for Caroline Akinyi after her 21-year-old daughter Cheryl Adhiambo was struck in the eye by a stray bullet as police pursued a criminal through the neighbourhood.
Cheryl, a first-year student at Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), died instantly inside her mother’s fish kiosk. She was due to complete her exams on Monday.
The shooting plunged Huruma into chaos and widespread unrest that lasted through the night to Sunday afternoon.
Tension in Huruma after violent protests over fatal shooting of KMTC student
“I had gone to visit my younger child in school and was called and informed that my daughter is dead. I have left my daughter in the hands of the government. I do not want to know how she will be taken home for burial, how her issue will go, or if she will find justice. I have left her to the government,” the distraught mother said.
Ms Akinyi spoke of a strong bond with her deceased daughter, built over the years of shared labour and dreams.
“My child has died on the same spot where we had those talks and shared fond memories. I just found her lying cold in the mortuary early morning. My heart broke even more when I found her blood spilt where she was shot,” the mother said.
Following the shooting, the situation quickly spiraled out of control as shops were vandalised, forcing traders to hurried closed up.
Cheryl Adhiambo who is believed to have been shot dead by a police officer in Nairobi's Huruma estate on February 07, 2026.
Photo credit: Pool
Furniture lining Mathare Road was set ablaze and used as bonfire barricades while wholesale shops were raided for food and clothes.
Edwin Masibo, who was heading home along Kangundo Road around 8pm described the chaos he witnessed.
“We stumbled on hundreds of youth looting and assaulting people. They were taking away phones, wallets and IDs as shops were vandalized. It was complete chaos,” he said.
By Sunday morning, residents and activists escorted Caroline Akinyi to Huruma Police Station to record a statement.
Human rights activist Hussein Khalid, who joined the residents at the police station, called for immediate accountability. He accused the police of blocking access to justice.
“We have spoken with the mother. The family has tried to access Huruma Police Station to record a statement and up to this point, the police have not allowed us in. The OB number is the right of everyone,” he said.
Mr Khalid condemned the police for meting out violence on innocent citizens for protesting the fatal shooting. He called on oversight bodies to act without delay.
Saturday night’s violence
“We want Ipoa officers to get to the bottom of this matter and arrest the officer immediately. We do not want to sleep before he is arrested so that justice is served for Cheryl Adhiambo.”
Outside, the charred remains of two matatus bore grim testimony to Saturday night’s violence.
Mathare Residents Association Spokesperson Alfred Ochieng condemned the shooting describing it as reckless and unlawful.
Caroline Achieng, the mother of the late Cheryl Adhiambo, reacts as Vocal Africa CEO Khalid Hussein displays a spent cartridge outside Huruma Police Station after Kiamaiko residents protested over the fatal shooting of Cheryl Adhiambo.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
“We are giving an ultimatum that the police officer who shot Cheryl must be arrested. That girl was innocent,” Mr Ochieng said.
Another resident who only identified himself as Okeyo said they have been traumatized by the shooting.
“What happened here has really affected us. We need police protection, but instead of protecting us, the police officer who is known for reigning terror on our youth, has done it again today,” he said.
“We are going to demonstrate here and show love to our sister Cheryl, a first-year student at KMTC — a comrade who has been killed yet she had her whole life ahead of her,” he said.
In response to the chaos, the National Police Service spokesperson Michael Muchiri said a robbery report made at Huruma Police Station Saturday, led to a series of arrests that later escalated into widespread unrest.
The churred shell of a matatu that was set ablaze in in Nairobi's Huruma estate on February 8, 2026 during protests over the fatal shooting of Cheryl Adhiambo.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
He said a complainant alleged that he was attacked and robbed of a silver chain and Sh1,800 by five youths, prompting the arrest of two suspects in the morning and two more in the evening.
“During the second arrest, one of the suspects raised alarm and incited youths who responded by pelting the officers with stones and other projectiles. The officers were forced to fire warning shots in the air. A short while later, information was received indicating that a member of the public had been fatally injured during the confrontation," Mr Muchiri said.
He said this is what sparked chaos in the area on Saturday night and Sunday morning when two vehicles were torched.
Mr Muchiri added that the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) has commenced investigations into the incident. He called for calm among the area residents.
