The mother of the boy who was shot and killed on Thursday, June 27, 2024, during the height of anti-Finance Bill protests has come out to accuse President William Ruto of failing to deliver his promises to her.
Jocinter Anyango spoke on Sunday, June 22, during an interdenominational church service attended by several dignitaries, where she detailed a conversation with President Ruto in the wake of the death of her son, Kennedy Onyango.
According to Jocinter, she received a phone call from Head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy Dennis Itumbi, and during the call she spoke with President Ruto and experienced her pain.
“He (the president) called me and we had a conversation. He asked me how things were, and I said they were not well. I told him to help me, and he promised to call me to the State House to discuss this matter because he is also a parent,” an emotional Jocinter recalled.
While holding back tears, she went on to add, “All the promises I was given, none of them have been fulfilled. It’s been one year, and nothing has been done.”
Kennedy, 12, lost his life in Ongata Rongai, Kajiado County, after getting shot during protests that turned chaotic. In the wake of his death, President Ruto refuted claims that the Grade 8 pupil was killed by a police officer.
"Kennedy Onyango was shot by a criminal who snatched a gun from an officer and started shooting indiscriminately," Ruto revealed during an open X engagement on July 5, 2024.
The preteen’s death caused massive outrage at the time, especially after it emerged that he was not involved in the protests.
Since Kennedy’s death, his mother, Jocinter, has been on a tedious quest for justice, which she now claims is not forthcoming any time soon.
Prior to calls to have the president help bring Kennedy’s killers to book, the distraught mother had also earlier called on the president’s intervention after the court halted the 12-year-old’s burial amid a family dispute.
Jocinter’s claims against the Head of State come at a time when pressure is piling on the government to bring an end to a spate of violence, which has mostly been attributed to law enforcers.
The death of blogger Albert Ojwang, who died while in police custody, prompted the personal intervention of Ruto, who reached out to Ojwang’s father before extending a Ksh2 million cash token to the grieving dad.
Kenyans.co.ke attempted to reach State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed for comment but our calls went unaswered.
