A senior student leader from Homa Bay was on Tuesday, June 17, critically injured after being shot during a peaceful protest in Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD), sparking outrage among student bodies nationwide.
Comrade Philip Oketch, popularly known as Yudhe, was reportedly shot in the neck on the evening of Tuesday, June 17, while participating in a demonstration condemning the alleged extrajudicial killing of educator Mwalimu Albert Ojwang’.
Oketch, a student at Kenyatta University is currently serving as the Chief of Staff of the Homa-Bay Universities Students’ Association (HUSA) and also the Chairperson of the Homa Bay Youths Forum.
According to an official statement released by HUSA, Oketch is receiving emergency medical care at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), though his condition remains critical.
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The association has issued a scathing condemnation of what it terms a “barbaric act” by law enforcement. “We strongly condemn this barbaric act by the police and call upon comrades across the nation to rise in unity and support our brother in this difficult time,” read the press statement signed by HUSA President Ogolla Ray.
In a show of solidarity, HUSA is calling on all university comrades to gather at KNH to stand with the injured leader and engage in a strategic dialogue on the way forward. The student body has also urged the national student movement to mobilize and hold authorities accountable for what they described as an unprovoked act of brutality.
“The time to deliberate on a strategic course of action is now,” the statement declared, reinforcing the association’s longstanding rallying cry: “An injury to one comrade is an injury to all.”
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The incident has amplified growing concern over the use of excessive force by police during student protests and is expected to fuel calls for institutional reform and justice for victims of state violence.
At the time of publication, there has been no official comment from the police regarding the shooting.
By Godfrey Wamalwa
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