A cloud of sorrow hangs over Ndumberi village in Kiambu County after a 12-year-old girl, Bridgit Njoki, was tragically shot dead inside her home during the Saba Saba Day protests on Monday, June 2025.
The fatal incident occurred as police used live bullets to disperse protestors across the region, leaving six dead and several others injured. Families are now demanding justice, compensation, and an independent investigation into what they call excessive use of force by law enforcement.
WATCHING TV TURNED TRAGIC
According to Lucy Ngugi, Bridgit’s grieving mother, the young girl was peacefully watching television with her family at around 6:20 p.m. when a stray bullet pierced through the walls of their home and struck her on the head.
“Our home is more than two kilometers from the protest zone,” said Lucy. “We didn’t imagine something like this could happen so far from the chaos.”
Bridgit was rushed to St. Brigid’s Hospital, but sadly died while medics attempted to save her life.
MORE FAMILIES MOURN UNEXPECTED LOSSES
The tragedy didn’t stop with Bridgit. Dennis Mutuma Mwangi, a 23-year-old, was also killed outside his home in Kiambu town. His mother, Friday Kawira, recounted the horror:
“My son was not even protesting. He had just stepped outside to hang his clothes when he was shot from behind. The bullet exited through his neck. He died instantly,” she said, overcome with emotion.
In Ndumberi, Laban Kamau was fatally shot in the head during the same unrest. His mother, Margaret Wangui, voiced her pain:
“My son was not a criminal. This is a village, not a battlefield. Why was there even gunfire here?”
YOUNG SURVIVOR LEFT IN PAIN
Among the injured is 18-year-old Kevin Muiruri, who suffered a gunshot wound to the leg while attempting to flee the chaos in Kabete Constituency. He is currently receiving treatment.
FAMILIES DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY
The affected families are now burdened not only with grief but also high mortuary and post-mortem fees at Kiambu Level 5 Hospital. They’re calling on the national government to step in and cover hospital bills and assist with burial costs, arguing that these killings were unjustified and avoidable.
“Why use live bullets to disperse unarmed citizens?” one relative questioned.
CALLS FOR INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION
Former Kiambu MP Jude Njomo visited the grieving families and joined the chorus demanding an international, independent investigation into the police conduct during the protests.
“The police cannot investigate themselves after killing these innocent youths. We need external accountability,” Njomo said, further accusing authorities of underreporting fatalities—stating that only one death was recorded officially, despite six confirmed by locals.
BACKGROUND: SABA SABA PROTESTS TURN DEADLY
Saba Saba Day, commemorated every July 7th, marks the 1990 movement that pushed for multiparty democracy in Kenya. However, this year’s commemoration turned violent in several parts of the country, with live ammunition reportedly used by police to quell protestors demanding government reforms, better leadership, and youth inclusion in national dialogue.
