A mother’s grief ignites a community’s rage after a stray police bullet cuts down a promising medical student in her prime.

The air in Huruma Estate is thick with the acrid smell of burning tires and the heavier, suffocating weight of grief. Sheryl Adhiambo, a 22-year-old student at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), lies cold in the city morgue, the latest victim of a policing system that often shoots first and asks questions later. What was meant to be a quiet Saturday evening helping her mother sell fish turned into a bloodbath when a stray bullet, allegedly fired by a police officer chasing a suspect, struck Sheryl in the head, killing her instantly.

"She Was Just Washing Fish"

Caroline Akinyi, Sheryl’s mother, is a portrait of shattered devastation. Sitting near the spot where her daughter fell, she recounts the horror with a voice trembling with pain. "She had committed no crime," Akinyi wailed, her hands clutching a photo of her daughter in her KMTC uniform. "If she were a man, maybe they would say she was a thief. But she was just here, washing fish. She was my hope. She was the one who was going to wipe my tears."

The details of the incident paint a damning picture of negligence:

• The Incident: Police officers were reportedly pursuing a fleeing suspect through the crowded alleys of Huruma Ngei 1.
• The Shot: Witnesses claim an officer fired recklessly into the crowd, striking Sheryl who was oblivious to the chase.
• The Aftermath: Instead of aiding the victim, the officers reportedly fled the scene as the community erupted in anger, leading to running battles that lasted through the night.

A Pattern of Impunity

Sheryl’s death is not an isolated tragedy; it is a statistic in a grim ledger of extrajudicial killings in Nairobi’s informal settlements. Residents have taken to the streets, barricading Juja Road and demanding the immediate arrest of the officer responsible. "We are tired of being used as target practice," shouted a local youth leader during the protests. "Today it is Sheryl, tomorrow it is me."

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has dispatched a rapid response team, but faith in the institution is at an all-time low. For Caroline Akinyi, no investigation can bring back the daughter who was weeks away from her final exams. The future doctor who would have saved lives was killed by those sworn to protect them.

As Nairobi goes to sleep, a family in Huruma stays awake, staring at the empty space where a bright young woman once stood, wondering why in Kenya, poverty is so often a capital offense punishable by a stray bullet.