Kware bloodshed: Abed Kioko shot in chaos, now scarred for life

The chaos that engulfed the Kware quarry dumpsite in Mukuru kwa Njenga in July 2024 left behind more than unanswered questions about bodies dumped near a police station. For Abed Kioko, it left a bullet wound he did not even know he had and a life that has yet to recover. On that day, as residents clashed with police during the retrieval of bodies near Kware Police Station, Abed was among the many caught in the confusion. Tear gas filled the air, stones flew and officers fired live rounds to disperse crowds that had gathered to witness and in some cases participate in the retrieval of bodies from the dumpsite. Abed remembers the panic. People running. Gunshots cracking through the tension then something strange happened. He felt an urgent need to relieve himself. Unaware he had been shot, Abed made his way to a nearby toilet, focused only on the discomfort. But as he undressed, something metallic dropped to the floor with a faint clink that sounded like a coin. It wasn’t. It was a bullet. Only then did the reality begin to set in. The bullet had entered through his back, exited through his left abdomen and lodged briefly at his belt without him realising in the chaos that he had been hit. He collapsed upon leaving the toilet. Family members and good Samaritans rushed him to Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital, where doctors confirmed he had suffered a gunshot wound. He survived but the aftermath has been a different kind of struggle. Nearly two years later, Abed is still recovering. He no longer has a home. Evicted from his house in Pipeline after falling behind on rent, he now lives at his wife’s cousin’s place someone equally jobless, trying to stretch limited means to accommodate an entire family. His wife has remained by his side through it all, caring for him and their two-year-old daughter, even as the weight of survival grows heavier by the day. Despite the hardship, Abed is pursuing justice. He has filed a complaint with the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), seeking accountability from the officer who shot him during the unrest. His story is one of many that emerged from the Kware incident a confrontation rooted in deep public mistrust. Residents had accused police of possible complicity, pointing to the proximity of the dumpsite to the police station and the disturbing nature of the bodies recovered. The situation escalated into violence, with police firing live bullets and tear gas as tensions boiled over. But beyond the broader national outrage and investigations, Abed’s life tells a more intimate story of a man who walked into a toilet unaware he had been shot and walked out into a future permanently altered. For him, the bullet did not just tear through flesh. It tore through stability, dignity, and certainty. As he waits for justice, recovery remains both physical and painfully unfinished. This is his story.