The family of Boniface Kariuki, the hawker shot at close range during a demonstration in Nairobi, has limited those visiting him to close relatives only.
Kariuki, who is admitted at the Kenyatta National Hospital, the family says, is still on a life support machine after undergoing two delicate surgeries.
“He is still on a life support machine; nothing has changed, he is still in the same state. We decided to limit the visits to just family members,” Emily Wanjiru, the family spokesperson, said.
She said the decision was arrived at after some politicians, including Governor Johnson Sakaja, sought to visit Kariuki, but his request was turned down.
While the surgeons who conducted the surgeries announced that they had successfully removed a bullet, the family says some parts of the bullet are still lodged in Kariuki’s brain. “We suspect it was a special bullet and some parts are still lodged, and any move could endanger Kariuki’s life,” she added.
Last week, Kenyatta National Hospital CEO William Sigilai said a bullet that struck Kariuki’s head had been successfully removed. He said it was not immediately established if it was a live or rubber bullet, adding that the object had been handed over to experts for analysis.
Kariuki was shot during protests demanding the resignation of DIG Eliud Lagat over the death of teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang.
In a viral video, two anti-riot police officers were seen assaulting a trader along Kimathi Street before one of them shoved him aside and shot him in the head. Well-wishers picked Kariuki and rushed him to Bliss Hospital for first aid. He was later moved to KNH.
Efforts to get a comment from the hospital on the state of the patient have remained unsuccessful. Similarly, information on the type of surgery done on the patient allegedly shot on the head also remains scarce, with claims that Kariuki underwent a craniotomy following the gunshot injury.
However, neurosurgeon Dr Lee Ogutha, while not directly involved in the patient’s case or surgery, explained to The Standard that a craniotomy is a surgical procedure involving the opening of the skull to access the brain.
“It is performed to remove a blood clot, stop bleeding, or extract foreign objects such as bullets or bone fragments,” said Dr Ogutha.
