What began as a normal Saturday evening quickly turned tragic for Nairobi businesswoman Caroline Akinyi after she received a distressing phone call informing her that her daughter had been killed.
Akinyi explained that she was visiting her younger child at school when she was contacted and told that her 21-year-old daughter, Cheryl Adhiambo, had been shot dead.
She said the news left her shattered and that she had decided to leave her daughter’s case entirely in the hands of the government.
Akinyi stated that she did not wish to concern herself with how her daughter’s body would be taken home for burial, how the matter would proceed, or whether justice would ultimately be achieved.
Cheryl, a first-year student at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), was struck in the eye by a stray bullet while inside her mother’s fish kiosk as police pursued a suspect through the Huruma neighbourhood.
She died instantly, only days before she was due to complete her examinations.
The fatal shooting sparked widespread unrest in Huruma, with enraged residents taking to the streets.
Several shops were vandalised, furniture was set on fire to barricade roads, and two matatus were torched as the chaos stretched into Sunday afternoon.
Witnesses reported incidents of looting and assaults along Mathare and Kangundo roads.
On Sunday morning, residents and human rights activists escorted Akinyi to Huruma Police Station to record a statement after facing initial resistance.
Activists accused the police of obstructing access to justice and called for accountability.
Community leaders condemned the killing as reckless and warned that residents would continue demonstrating until the officer responsible is arrested.
The National Police Service said the incident stemmed from a robbery report that escalated into violence, adding that the Independent Policing Oversight Authority has launched investigations.
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