Abandoned by the State ;The silent pain for Gen Z protest survivors

Nine months after the Gen Z revolt that re-shaped the political position of the country leading to realignments at the national executive, some of the youths that were caught up in the heat of the moment have been living a life of agony as their families await the now still-born promise by the political class.

Even after inspiring shifts in relationships between President William Ruto and his erstwhile opponent at the 2022 election, ODM leader Raila Odinga, which lead to the incorporation of the opposition into Cabinet, The Saturday Standard has established that several innocent souls have had their lives shattered.

We embarked on a journey of piecing together the disturbing story of some youths caught up in the effects of the violent protests and found a disturbing pattern in their reflections.

All were shot by the police quelling the protests. Two are paralyzed and receiving minimal help from the public hospital serving them. Of the paralyzed two, one is managing ailments bedridden at home which has wiped out all the savings of their families leaving them destitute. Another case is of one who lives with persistent pain in his leg with no medical attention. 

Brian Mwangi who was shot in Karatina, Nyeri County while working during the protests is today confined to his hospital bed at Kenyatta National Hospital.  Mwangi is unable to move. He writhes in pain from sores on his legs and a bullet stuck in his chest.

For Mwangi, the nightmare has been worse. The 30-year-old who was not part of the protests that were hot in Karatina, was shot in the back on August 8, 2024. Mwangi was at work learning how to repair tyre punctures at a petrol station, when police fired live rounds in the small town near Nyeri.

His colleague was shot in the leg. But Mwangi was hit by a bullet that struck his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed.

Speaking to The Saturday Standard from his hospital bed, Mwangi said he has been lying there waiting for help that never comes. 

“I was hospitalised here in August last year when I was referred from Karatina Hospital. The bullet affected my spine, and it’s still inside my body. They told me they cannot remove it until the wounds I developed two weeks after admission heal. But from the look of things, the wound is so bad, it looks like I am rotting away,” he said. 

The deep wound, which started as bed sores, has only worsened over time. According to Brian, KNH has done little to help him recover. 

“They keep postponing treatment. Every time they are supposed to clean and dress the wound, they push it forward, saying ‘next week’ but that week never comes. I am stuck with a wound that won’t heal, and because of that, they refuse to perform surgery to remove the bullet in my back,” said Mwangi. 

Even more distressing are the threats from hospital staff whenever he questions the lack of care. 

“The matron tells me that if I keep pushing for treatment, they will discharge me and send me home without the surgery I need. How will going home help me? I am in pain, I cannot move, and now they want to throw me out instead of helping me heal,” said Mwangi in a voice filled with frustration and despair.

An orphan, he depends on his aunt, and the mounting hospital bills have left them financially drained.

Esther Wangui, his aunt has been his caretaker since the misfortune caught up with her nephew. She narrated to The Saturday Standard how everything unfolded after the shooting.

“They rushed him to Karatina Hospital, but the doctors told us that his condition was too severe. He was transferred to KNH the next day,” says Wangui.

Two weeks after admission, the doctors broke the devastating news, that Mwangi had suffered permanent spinal damage. He would never walk again.  He then started to develop bedsores which grew severe. The wounds have not healed since. His wrist has an open wound that refuses to close, and that she fears he is losing hope.

“Mwangi was not a threat to anyone’s peace and did not deserve the bullet that is lodged in his body” Wangui says adding. “He was not armed. He was not stealing anyone’s property. He was at work, trying to make ends meet. They said no live bullets, but they used them anyway”

“If the government can do nothing else, let them at least waive his hospital bill. Let him get the treatment he needs,” says Mwangi’s aunt. 

The family wants to move him to another hospital.

“It is too expensive, and we feel like KNH is not helping. The bill is now almost a million shillings. We don’t know what to do,” says Wangui. “Every visit costs money. We George Katua left. We are begging for a well-wisher to step in,” she says. 

In a dimly lit room in Mukuru Kwa Njenga, George Katua lies on a thin mattress, blankly staring at the ceiling with teary eyes.

His father, Victor Kyalo, sits beside him, his face etched with worry. Katua, 19, was a high school student preparing for his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams when a bullet shattered his life.

It happened on July 16, 2024 when police officers were dispersing protesters in Pipeline estate, Nairobi.

Katua had just left school, still in uniform, and was walking home when chaos erupted. He told The Saturday Standard that he was not part of the demonstrations, but that did not matter.

“I fell down, lost consciousness, and woke up at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) bed the next day. I was told I had been shot in the thigh,” he said.

That bullet changed his life. The once-active teenager spent months in pain, and missed the entire third term, bedridden at home.

When KCSE results were released he managed a C- . He now says he could have done better.

“I wanted to be in class, just like my classmates. If I had studied well, I know my grades would be better,” Katua explained.

His family has been struggling to cover medical bills. His father, Kyalo, who survives on menial jobs, says he has sold everything he owned to sort the recurring medical expenses.

Katua says that beyond the physical pain, he also struggles with the psychological toll and that his self-esteem has fallen.

“Most of the things I used to do on my own, I cannot anymore. I need help with everything, at times it feels like a burden,” Katua says.

Worse still, Katua has a urinary catheter; a tube inserted into his body to help him urinate, after the fatal shot he sustained.

It was meant to be removed in January, but months later, it is still in place. He explains that on repeat occasions, KNH said the line was too long and that he had to wait for his turn.

He says that the discomfort is unbearable, and when it blocks, the pain is terrible.

“At times, he cries in the middle of the night. When it blocks, we have to rush to the hospital, it is the only way out, but every visit drains us financially,” says the father.

Three times a month, Kyalo takes his son to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). Each visit, he says, is a struggle.

“We have to pay out of pocket first before we are offered any service, and it is not cheap. We have no choice but to keep going, but I don’t know for how long we can do this,” says Kyalo.

President William Ruto, in a town hall session in Kisumu last year, promised that victims of the Gen Z protests, like Katua would be compensated.

“We are working on the numbers to see how they (victims) will be taken care of,” Ruto said.

But months later, this has never happened, the father said. For families like Katua’s, those words feel empty promises.

“My son was shot by a police officer, and no one in government has reached out. Not even to check if he is alive,” he says.

Kyalo says that when his son was shot, he tried to report the shooting at Kware Police Station, in Pipeline Nairobi, but was turned away.

“They told me there was no Officer Commanding Station. I was dismissed, told to go home,” Kyalo says. 

A bullet, allegedly fired by a police officer left Katua fighting for his dignity. Another bullet, left Mwangi in a hospital bed, unable to move, watching his life slip away.

“As a family, we are exhausted, financially drained, and emotionally broken. Yet, we still hope that someone, somewhere, will hear our cries,” says Kyalo.

For Franklin Okoth, a resident of Mukuru Kayaba, Nairobi, life has never been the same since June 25, 2024. The day he was caught in the occupy parliament protests near Nation Centre in Nairobi. 

He told The Saturday Standard that he was just 19 at the time. Today, at 20, he is a young man grappling with the lasting pain and consequences of police brutality. 

“I was shot with a live bullet in the leg, then they fired rubber bullets at my chest and even my manhood. I fell to the ground, unable to move, and unconscious,” said Okoth. 

He said that bystanders rushed him to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), where he spent two weeks receiving treatment. But his ordeal didn’t end there, Okoth said that he was later transferred to Syokimau Veteran Hospital, where he remained for a month, struggling to recover from his injuries. 

“Life has been tough since I was injured. I cannot continue with my work. I used to be active, doing menial jobs for survival, but now I cannot even run. My life changed completely,” he said. 

Despite months of treatment, Okoth still suffers from unexplained pain in his thigh. 

“I feel like there is something hard inside my thigh, but I don’t know what it is,” Okoth said. 

Like other victims of police shootings during the protest, government has done nothing to help him rebuild his life. 

“The government never helped us, they promised compensation, but nothing has been done. Even if they don’t give me money, at least they can give me a job—ata kama ni kufagia (even if it’s just sweeping). I just need a way to survive,” said Okoth. 

Okoth said that at only 20, he finds himself struggling with the kind of hardships no young person should have to endure. 

According to a report released by Amnesty International and other human rights organizations last year, six protesters were shot dead, while 72 others were either abducted or were still missing following a police response described as excessive and uncoordinated during the June 25, 2024, ‘Occupy Parliament’ protest in Nairobi. 

The report highlighted indiscriminate use of firearms by law enforcement, with officers firing at random, seemingly without clear orders. 

“The level of violence and disregard for human rights during the protest is unacceptable. Authorities had ample time to prepare for a peaceful demonstration, yet the response was marked by excessive force,” noted the report. 

Amnesty International weapons experts identified the use of G3, AK-47, Galil-pattern rifles, and CZ Scorpion EVO 3 submachine guns against unarmed civilians. 

Beyond the six confirmed deaths, the report documented 61 fatalities from various protests in 2024.