Police officers were deployed on Sunday to quell unrest in Nairobi’s Mukuru Kwa Njenga informal settlement after protests erupted following the alleged police killing of a young man, Adan Shukri.
A video seen by Radio Generation shows angry residents taking to the streets, engaging police who were firing teargas at them.
According to the social justice movement, Mukuru Community Justice Centre, the 20-year-old Shukri Adan was allegedly killed on Sunday morning by a police officer in the area.
The organisation said in a statement that Shukri was driving a Toyota Fielder with two of his friends at Bhakita stage when their car slightly scratched a matatu.
According to reports, what should have remained a minor traffic incident escalated after the matatu driver threw a stone, shattering the rear windscreen of their car.
Adan and his friends stepped out and a confrontation followed.
In the midst of this altercation, two police officers emerged from a vehicle.
"Instead of de-escalating the situation, one officer opened fire, fatally shooting Adan Shukri," Mukuru Community Justice Centre added.
"We have since been informed that the two police officers involved have been arrested and are currently detained at Embakasi Police Station. While this is a step toward accountability, arrest alone is not justice."
It condemned what it described as the normalisation of police killings.
“A young life full of dreams has been violently cut short. A family has been thrown into unimaginable pain. A community is once again mourning because those meant to protect life chose brutality instead. How many more young people must die before the police respect the rule of law?” the Mukuru Community Justice Centre said.
The organisation also demanded justice, accusing police of using force against demonstrators.
“As residents demand justice, anti-riot police have been heavily deployed and continue to use force against peaceful protestors. This violence only deepens the pain of a community already mourning a young life lost. Justice must prevail. Our voices will not be silenced.”
Police had not issued a statement on the incident by the time of publication.
The protests come barely a month after the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) opened investigations into the death of a 23-year-old boda boda rider, who died while in custody at Kawangware Police Post, raising fresh concerns over police conduct.
Jack Leon Matoke was detained on Thursday, December 11, 2025, and was later found dead at the City Mortuary just four hours after being taken into police custody.
In a statement issued on Monday, December 15, 2025, IPOA said Matoke had been held at the police post as he awaited transfer and formal booking at Muthangari Police Station in Nairobi County. His death reportedly occurred at around 7 p.m. under circumstances that remain unclear.
IPOA said its officers had visited and documented the scene at the police post, contacted the family, and attended the post-mortem conducted at the City Mortuary.
The authority noted that the information gathered would inform the next steps of the investigation.
“The arising findings will guide the Authority's subsequent public communication on the status of the investigations and the actions taken, including the submission of appropriate recommendations to relevant State agencies, notably the Director of Public Prosecutions, if criminal liability is determined,” IPOA said.
