A Kenyan police officer will be charged with murder over the death of a bystander he shot at close range during a rally against police brutality, prosecutors said Thursday.

The east African nation has been roiled by increasingly violent demonstrations opposed to President William Ruto’s administration.

At least 50 people have died in recent protests, according to a tally by AFP citing rights groups.

Among them was mask vendor Boniface Kariuki, who was not protesting. He was shot by a policeman in riot gear on June 17 in the capital Nairobi.

The incident was filmed and shared widely online and sparked huge anger, which only increased when Kariuki died of his wounds in hospital.

Kariuki’s funeral will be held on Friday outside Nairobi.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) said it “has approved a murder charge against a police officer who allegedly murdered a mask vendor in Nairobi”, in a post on X.

It said officer Klinzy Barasa Masinde, 32, had appeared in a Nairobi court and will be remanded in prison and “undergo mental assessment before he is charged with murder”.

Masinde will next appear in court on July 28.

The move comes just a day after Ruto said looters during protests “should be shot in the leg, be taken to hospital and taken to court”. His comments have been widely condemned.

The June 17 protest was held after a teacher died in police custody following his arrest over social media posts criticising a senior police officer.

Six people, including three police officers, have since been charged with the teacher’s murder.