Mediamax journalist Catherine Wanjeri Kariuki now claims that she was deliberately targeted by police officers after being shot three times while covering anti-government protests in Nakuru on Tuesday, July 16.

In a media briefing on Thursday, July 18, Wanjeri disclosed that she had been struck by a teargas canister earlier before the shooting occurred.

“I am convinced I was targeted because this wasn’t the first time I had been targeted. In an earlier protest, I was hit with a teargas canister, but I didn’t report or escalate the incident,” she remarked.

Wanjeri shared that she had shown her colleagues a scar from the teargas canister, which was on the same leg where she was later shot.

On the fateful day, Wanjeri says that she left home around 1:30 pm to cover the protests, anticipating she would complete her work and return safely.

“Little did I know I would end up in a hospital with stitches in my thigh,” she reflected.

Wanjeri had three bullets lodged in her thigh. The rubber bullets have since been removed, and doctors have confirmed she is out of danger.

Wanjeri is unsure how long her recovery will take or the extent of the scarring.

She recounted that just seven minutes before the shooting, her mother had called her, urging her to stay safe.

Shortly before being shot, Wanjeri was seen in a circulating video assisting a female police officer in a police van, providing her with toothpaste to alleviate teargas pain.

Currently recuperating at Annex Hospital in Nakuru, Wanjeri remains optimistic that justice will be served.