Bullet fragment still lodged in Boniface Kariuki's brain

Parents of Boniface Kariuki, the hawker who was shot by police in Nairobi during demonstrations. [David Gichuru,Standard]

For two weeks now, Boniface Kariuki, the hawker who was shot in the head at close range by a police officer in Nairobi, has been lying in critical condition at Kenyatta National Hospital.

Kariuki, 22, was rushed to the facility on June 17 after being shot along Tom Mboya Street during a demonstration calling for the resignation of Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat.

While surgeons who conducted the first head surgery on the patient reported that they had removed the bullet, some fragments of the ammunition lodged in Kariuki’s brain have presented a serious challenge for the medical team.

This development was disclosed on Friday, as Kariuki underwent a third surgery, while doctors continued their efforts to save his life in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

“He underwent surgery on Friday. The procedure involved relocating the breathing tubes from the nose to the throat to help him breathe normal oxygen,” said family spokesperson Emily Wanjiru. “Part of it was a procedure known as pegging, which involves creating a pathway for feeding tubes below the abdomen, connecting to the intestines for patients unable to swallow,” she added.

This minimally invasive surgical technique avoids a full abdominal operation while enabling nutritional support for patients in critical condition.

According to Wanjiru, this procedure was particularly delicate. For the first time, doctors informed the family that a piece of the bullet remains in the brain and cannot currently be removed at the moment so as not to risk Kariuki’s life.

“They said, it will only be removed once it forms pus. They are worried that if it is touched as it is, it might endanger his life,” she said

Adding that, “The brain is still severely damaged, he does not recognise anyone but on Monday he was responding to pain before switching back to the same state,”

That means Kariuki will still remain in the same state for an unknown period of time . Meanwhile, the hospital bill has surpassed Sh2.7 million.

“Per day, we were told that it increases by Sh180,000, this has forced us to create a PayBill because his parents are unable to foot the bill,” she said.