Boniface Kariuki, a 22-year-old mask vendor, is still in critical condition after he was shot during a protest in Nairobi on June 17.
His family is now facing painful decisions as his condition continues to worsen.
Boniface was reportedly selling face masks when chaos broke out during protests against police brutality.
He was hit by a bullet in the head and rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).
Doctors performed emergency surgery to remove part of the bullet from his skull. However, even after the operation, Boniface has not regained consciousness. He remains connected to life support machines.
Doctors have described his condition as “clinically dead.” This means his heart and breathing stopped for some time, and although machines brought him back, he cannot survive without them.
His brain is severely damaged — reports say about 80% of it is no longer working. This makes it almost impossible for him to live a normal life again without full-time medical help.
KNH Chief Executive Dr. William Sigilai said Boniface is on a ventilator and is being watched closely by doctors and nurses.
He also confirmed that the hospital has spoken to the family about what steps to take next, including the difficult topic of switching off the machines keeping Boniface alive.
The cost of Boniface’s hospital stay has already reached Ksh 1 million, and the bill continues to grow.
His family says they have not received any support from government officials, and their attempt to report the incident to the police at the Central Police Station was unsuccessful.
According to their lawyer, officers refused to file the complaint, and no one from the government has offered any help.
To make things worse, Boniface’s father, Jonah Kariuki, was recently tricked by scammers.
He lost Ksh 200,000 to people pretending to be officials from the Social Health Authority. The fraud left the family feeling even more helpless.
By Kenyans