Victims of police brutality during the recent anti-government protests dubbed 'Nane Nane' are still reeling from the traumatic experiences they endured nearly two weeks ago.
Among those affected are two young men from Generation Z whose lives have been drastically altered by gunshot wounds sustained during the demonstrations.
Bison Amunga and Brian Mwangi are both demanding justice as they struggle to recover from the injuries inflicted by police officers during the chaotic events.
Amunga, a young entrepreneur who seized the opportunity presented by the protests to sell masks to demonstrators, found himself in a harrowing situation on Kimathi Street in Nairobi's central business district.
According to a report filed by Citizen TV, Amunga was shot three times by police officers and in a recent interview, recounted the terrifying moment when officers apprehended him.
"They arrested me, and one of them asked me to lie on the ground," he explained.
"The other one told him to take me to the police van. I did not enter the police van; I decided to run and that is how I was shot. I lost consciousness and when I noticed I was bleeding, I raised an alarm and journalists came to my rescue. They were AP officers who alighted from a Land Cruiser and when they shot me, they disappeared."
Amunga's ordeal did not end there. He was rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital, where doctors found three bullets lodged in his arm.
Fortunately, the bullets were successfully removed and he was later discharged.
However, the physical and emotional scars remain and Amunga, who earns his living through cleaning services, is anxiously waiting for his wound to heal so that he can resume work.
In another tragic incident, Brian Mwangi, a young man from Karatina town, was left paralysed from the waist down after being shot by police officers during the protests.
The bullet that struck him caused severe damage to his spinal cord, leaving him unable to feel his stomach and with little hope of regaining the use of his legs.
"The boy is in pain," a relative of Mwangi shared.
"We have been told that the bullet has interfered with the spinal cord. He can't feel his stomach. The doctor has told us that his chances of using his legs are very slim. He was a good young man, he never stole anyone's property. He will not be able to do his jobs to sustain himself."
The situation remains dire for Mwangi as he faces an uncertain future.
A neurosurgeon explained that the bullet lodged near his spinal cord would be closely investigated to determine whether it can be safely removed or if it will remain in his body indefinitely.
