The family of a man whose body was captured on video being dragged by police officers has revealed his final moments before he was killed during the Saba Saba Day protests.
Harrison Wachira lost his life after being shot on Monday, July 7, with his immediate family members calling for justice, believing it to be another case of the excessive and lethal use of force by police officers.
According to Wachira's partner, she received a phone call from him just as the Saba Saba protests turned violent in Juja.
She recounted how the deceased had travelled to Juja for work and called to inform her that he was stranded due to running battles between protesters and anti-riot police.
"He called and told me that there were skirmishes in Juja," she revealed. "I advised him against opening shop and told him to just go home and I'd find a way to him since it was not too volatile on my side."
Hours after the phone call, the family learnt of the death of their kin after the video of police officers dragging his body went viral.
One of Wachira's uncles revealed more details of how the deceased allegedly died, blaming the shooting on an officer believed to have been aboard an unmarked Subaru.
The family also confirmed the authenticity of the viral video, claiming that Wachira's remains were stained with mud from when he was dragged by police officers.
"Wachira was shot by someone in a Subaru, those Subarus which are usually unmarked," one of Wachira's relatives revealed.
"He has a gunshot wound on his neck, and it was clear he was dragged since his body is still mud-stained."
The Juja area was one of several regions across the country where the Saba Saba Day protests took a violent turn. Despite anti-riot police efforts to block access to the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD), protests spilled over into residential areas, with reports of gunshots and running battles in Kitengela, Ngong, Kiserian, Kangemi, among other parts of the country.
In the wake of the Saba Saba protests, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) revealed on Wednesday that the death toll from the demonstrations had risen to 31.
This included the passing of a 12-year-old girl in Kiambu, who was allegedly struck by a stray bullet while in her parents' compound.
