By S, KNA
A family in Utange, Kisauni Sub-county, is demanding the immediate arrest and prosecution of police officers following the fatal shooting of 14-year-old Dennis Ringa during New Year celebrations.
A post-mortem examination conducted at Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital on January 5, 2026, confirmed the Grade Six pupil was shot from the rear, with the bullet entering through the left posterior shoulder and exiting from the front.
The examination revealed the projectile fractured the left shoulder bone and adjacent ribs, causing extensive damage to major blood vessels that resulted in injuries incompatible with life.
The findings have intensified calls for accountability, with family members and human rights activists terming the shooting unjustified and unprovoked. Dennis was shot dead in the early hours of January 1, 2026, in the Utange area of Bamburi as residents ushered in the New Year.
Witnesses and family members said the incident occurred at around midnight when the boy, who was the third-born in his family, was in the company of five friends within a residential area.
Speaking outside the hospital mortuary after the post-mortem, Dennis’ mother Nancy Kwekwe said she was in deep pain over her son’s death. “My son was murdered without any justification. He was shot from the rear and the bullet emerged from the front. He wasn’t a criminal, he wasn’t involved in drugs. In fact, he was a hardworking young man. He was my hope,” she mourned.
Kwekwe appealed to authorities to ensure those responsible are arrested and prosecuted swiftly. “I need help because I am in deep, deep pain. I want all those involved in his demise to be arrested and prosecuted quickly,” she said.
Dennis’s stepfather Michael Charo said the family was grateful to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) for supporting them but urged the agency to remain vigilant throughout the justice process.
“We are here because the police killed Dennis by shooting him. We don’t want this case to take long. We want all those that were involved in his death to be arrested and prosecuted,” he said.
On his part Vocal Africa, ( a human rights organisation) Chief Executive Officer Hussein Khalid, who witnessed the post-mortem, said the findings confirmed Dennis posed no threat to anyone when he was killed.
“The post-mortem has confirmed that he was shot from the rear, meaning he wasn’t a threat to anyone. The one who killed him did so without any justification,” Khalid said.
He added that evidence from the post-mortem was critical and should expedite the arrest of the suspects. “There’s no more reason for the police to delay in arresting the suspects who were involved in this act. We want to see them quickly arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law. Our youth today fear for their lives from the same individuals who are supposed to protect them,” he said.
Khalid confirmed that IPOA has taken written statements from police officers regarding the matter and has sought reports from the Officer Commanding Station and the deputy OCS.
“Evidence from that police station has already been collected and what’s remaining now is for those police officers involved to be arrested,” he said.
Vocal Africa Rapid Response Officer Walid Sketty said any police officer who shoots innocent civilians is not fit to wear the police uniform.
“We have been with this family since the first of January, the day their son Dennis Ringa was shot dead by police officers. It was just one bullet that pierced his body from the back and emerged from the front, showing that clearly, he was trying to flee. It is clear that he had no intention of hurting that police officer,” Sketi said.
He urged IPOA to handle the case expeditiously, describing it as straightforward based on the available evidence.