Raila Odinga Attends Burial Ceremony Of Man Shot In Emali During Azimio Demos

• Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party leaders attend the burial of an 18-year-old boy shot dead by police during protests
• Brian Malika Mwendwa, 18, was shot dead by police during Azimio la Umoja protests in Emali, Makueni county
• The leaders stopped in Emali for a meet-and-greet session with residents before going to pay their last respect to Muendo

Emali - A section of leaders from the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party is in Makueni county to attend the burial ceremony of an 18-year-old boy.

Police officers who clashed with demonstrators who had blocked the Mombasa-Nairobi highway reportedly shot the boy, identified as Brian Malika Mwendwa, dead.

The incident happened during the first day of the Azimio la Umoja three-day demos that began on July 19.

Burial ceremony in Emali

KANU secretary of political affairs Fredrick Okango said they were in Makueni to attend the burial ceremony of Mwendwa in Emali.

"Today we, the Azimio brigade, accompanied Baba Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka to the funeral of Brian, who was shot dead during the peaceful protests in Emali, Makueni County," Okango said on his social media platform.

Raila also announced that they stopped at Emali town to interact with the people before proceeding to the family to pay last respect to young Mwendwa.

"We stopped in Emali town, Makueni County, for a brief meet and greet session. We thank the people for a warm welcome," he said.

Hope for the family killed?

According to a story published by Nation, the 18-year-old was weeks away from joining Kenyatta University to study for a Computer Science degree after finishing form four and scoring a C+.

Witnesses said Mwendwa was a bystander when police started engaging protesters, and a stray bullet ripped through his stomach.

The chairman of his burial committee confirmed to Nation that the burial was slated for today (Tuesday, August 15), and Azimio la Umoja leaders were expected to attend.

Raila Odinga: Justice for victims

In the three-day demos, uncountable cases of police brutality were reported in Nairobi and other parts of the country.

According to human rights and interest groups reports, more than ten people were killed during the anti-government demos.

Raila vowed to ensure justice is served to families that lost their loved ones in the opposition demonstrations.