Felix Keaton, a lawyer who was representing two police officers accused of assaulting and shooting a street vendor in Nairobi, has officially withdrawn from the case. The incident happened on June 17 during protests in the city center, close to Imenti House.
The two officers involved, Masinde Barasa and Duncan Kiprono, are said to have attacked Boniface Kariuki, a young man who earned a living by selling face masks. After the incident, both officers were arrested and locked up as they wait to appear in court.
Keaton stepped down from the case on Thursday, June 19, saying that the pressure and threats he and his family were receiving had become too much. He explained that more than a thousand people had reached out to him through calls and messages, mostly from angry young people who demanded he quit defending the officers. The lawyer described the situation as no longer being about the law but about personal safety and the well-being of his loved ones.
He did not give the full content of the threats, but he said the backlash was serious and growing worse by the day.Before he withdrew, Keaton had made a statement during a press briefing defending one of the officers.
He said that his client was not the one who fired the shot that hurt the vendor. He asked the public to review the video recordings from the scene and avoid rushing to judgment. Still, his call for calm did not slow down the anger on social media.
Many Kenyans, especially the youth, have been loud and clear online, calling for justice and demanding that the officers face the full weight of the law. The injured vendor’s family has also stepped forward with more demands, adding to the pressure on the legal system.
The case has touched a nerve across the country. People are upset, and many see this as another example of police violence going too far. With the two officers set to appear in court soon, the public is watching closely. Many hope that this case will not be swept under the rug.
Instead, they want to see a proper legal process and clear answers about what happened.
For now, the future of the case remains uncertain, especially with the lawyer stepping away, but one thing is clear, Kenyans want justice for Boniface Kariuki.
