Death toll from Gen Z riots hits 19 as grieving families plead for help burial support

The number of people who died during the June 25 Gen Z anniversary demonstrations has risen to 19, according to the latest update from the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR).

Meanwhile, some families are still struggling to raise funds to bury their loved ones.

Nairobi County recorded the highest death toll with six fatalities, while Makueni and Machakos each reported two deaths. Additional deaths occurred in Kiambu, Nakuru, Uasin Gishu and Nyandarua.

In a statement dated June 27, the Commission said 531 people were injured, 15 were forcibly disappeared, 179 arrested and cases of sexual violence included two rapes, two gang rapes and one attempted gang rape.

Vocal Africa Executive Director Hussein Khalid said postmortems for the six people shot dead in Nairobi will be conducted at the Nairobi Funeral Home on June 30, 2025.

Hussein said already, the experts who will conduct the exercise have been identified even as some families say they are unable to meet the cost of giving their loved ones deserving sendoff.

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“This was the case for George Akello, whose 23-year-old son, Reagan Omondi, died from bullet wounds at Kibera Level 4 Hospital on June 26. He had been shot in the arm and leg on Ngong Road on June 17 while returning home.

“I lost him at such a young age. Now I don’t even know how I will transport his body to Homa Bay for burial,” Akello said after identifying his son’s body at City Mortuary in Nairobi.

“I am struggling to put food on the table since I’m also sick. The government that killed him should come to our aid.”

“Similarly, the family of 19-year-old David Mwangi, who was shot in Embakasi, said his death was unexpected and has left them struggling to make ends meet.

In Kiambu County, three people lost their lives, among them Victor Otieno Odhiambo, a final-year Business Studies student at a Thika-based institution.

An autopsy conducted at General Kago Funeral Home on Friday revealed that the 25-year-old died from a single gunshot wound to the head.

His father, Patrick Wesonga, said Odhiambo was his firstborn child and that he had struggled to raise him. Odhiambo was set to sit his final exam next month.

Another victim of the protests was Ian Muhindi, who was hit by a stray bullet while watching the demonstrations from the rooftop of his house in Juja and was rushed to hospital but later succumbed.

On the same day, Abdi Qani Aden, aged 22, was shot around Makongeni police station in Thika when police were forced to open fire on protestors. He has since been buried but Muhindi and Otieno are yet to be laid to rest.

Sources at Thika Level 5 Hospital confirmed that five other patients are being treated for gunshot wounds at the facility while another is receiving treatment for a teargas-related injury on the upper right eye.

The injured patients are reported to be between 17 and 25 years old.

In Matuu town, Machakos County where two people were left dead and six others seriously injured, residents have condemned the police brutality and demanded justice for their loved ones.

In what the residents have described as the deadliest confrontation between law enforcers and civilians ever to be witnessed in Yatta, the aftermath of Gen Z’s first anniversary demonstrations have left a trail of agony, misery and untold trauma among locals.

Victoria Mutheu, the mother of 21-year-old William Musyimi Mutevu, who was fatally shot by the police during the confrontation, says her life is now shattered following her son’s sudden death.

Speaking from her home in Kikule village in Matuu, the mother of eight said the killing of her son by the police was her most painful life experience, casting doubts as to whether she will ever recover from the trauma.

“The most painful thing is knowing that he was killed by the government that we voted to power. I will never recover from this loss,” Mutheu told The Standard yesterday in a telephone interview.

She went on, “Each minute I remember that I will never see my son again, my heart bleeds. All I need is an explanation from the government as to why my son, who was unarmed, had to die.”

The mother of eight says on the fateful day, she was called at around 11 am and briefed that her son had been injured and taken to Matuu Mission Hospital.

“I hurriedly rushed to the hospital and on arrival, I sensed something was wrong. My instincts were right. I was led straight to where my son laid dead,” she said.

She said although her son will not come back to life again, she expects justice to be served upon the police officer who triggered the bullet that terminated her son’s life.

“The doctor who attended to my son told us he had three bullet wounds on his stomach. I also noticed he had bled excessively from where he lay,” she said.

The body of another middle-aged man who succumbed to bullet injuries while undergoing treatment at Matuu level 4 hospital is yet to be identified.

According to Matuu Level 4 hospital administrator, nine patients were brought in, six of them with bullet-inflicted injuries.

“One of the patients who sustained very severe injuries in the stomach was pronounced dead on arrival. We are working tirelessly to stabilize the rest and we are hopeful they will be out of danger,” he said.

At the same time, Richard Mulwa, the uncle of another casualty, Eric Mulwa who sustained severe bullet injury in the head, has called for action against the police officers who shot his nephew, who has since been referred to Kitui Level 5 hospital for specialized treatment.

In a telephone interview with The Standard, Mulwa said his nephew was shot 200 meters away from the police station.

“The bullet entered through his back and exited from his stomach. He was a passerby who was not even involved in the demonstrations. Police must be held accountable for their actions,” he said.

Reporting by Pkemoi Ng’enoh, Gitau Wanyoike and Erustus Mulwa