Families are in agony after six people, including a 12-year-old girl, were shot dead by police during Saba Saba protests in Kiambu county, on Monday.

The families are demanding justice, compensation, and an independent investigation into what they termed as unprovoked and excessive use of live bullets by police.

Twelve-year-old Bridgit Njoki was hit by a stray bullet while watching television at her family home in Ndumberi village.

Njoki’s mother, Lucy Ngugi, said a stray bullet struck her daughter in the head at around 6:20 pm, despite their house being located about two kilometers from the main road where protests were taking place.

She died while doctors were trying to resuscitate her at St Brigid’s Hospital.

In Kiambu town, 23-year-old Dennis Mutuma Mwangi, also became a statistic of the protest killings.

Mwangi’s mother, Friday Kawira, said he had stepped outside their home after finishing laundry when he was reportedly shot from the back, and the bullet exited through his neck, killing him outside their gate.

Another victim, Laban Kamau from Ndumberi village, was shot in the head. His mother, Margaret Wangui, said her son was not a criminal and did not deserve such a violent death.

The families lament that they have been forced to pay for the mortuary fees and post-mortem cost at Kiambu Level Five Hospital, despite the deaths being caused by trigger happy police.

They are now calling on the government to take responsibility for the hospital bill and burial expenses, arguing that the use of live bullets on unarmed individuals was unwarranted.

Eighteen-year-old Kevin Muiruri, a student in Kabete constituency, was injured during the chaotic Saba Saba protests.

He was shot in the left leg while fleeing away from the protests.

 Muiruri claimed that police left him at the scene and was rushed to hospital by well-wishers.

Former Kiambu MP Jude Njomo, who visited the grieving families, called for an independent and international investigation.

Njomo said police cannot be trusted to investigate themselves after they recorded only one death in Kiambu, despite families confirming six fatalities.

Residents have raised concerns over the alleged use of hired goons by authorities in Mt Kenya region.

They claim that police often target innocent people who are not involved in looting or violent protests, while the culprits go unpunished.