As tear gas filled the air on June 25, 2024, and chaos engulfed Nyeri town’s Kimathi Street, Daniel Ndirangu found himself on the ground, blood pooling beneath him.

A police officer had just shot him twice in the leg during protests against the Finance Bill, 2024.

The officer quickly disappeared into the crowd, leaving Ndirangu to fight for his life.

At the time, Ndirangu was a matatu conductor--hardworking, energetic, and full of hope.

Now, he walks with crutches after one of his legs was amputated due to the gunshot wounds.

When the media visited him at his modest rental house in Chania estate, Nyeri, Ndirangu recounted the horrific day that changed his life forever.

“The second bullet shattered my knee joint. I fainted immediately,” he said. “My fellow youths picked me up and rushed me to the Nyeri County Referral Hospital in a Red Cross ambulance.”

What followed was a painful recovery process and a life-altering decision by doctors to amputate his leg to save his life.

“I left the hospital a different man. I was all alone with my family, facing a bleak future. That’s when my nightmare began,” Ndirangu said.

A husband and father of one, Ndirangu has since been unable to return to work.

Providing for his family has become a struggle.

“I used to be the breadwinner,” he said. “Now I can’t afford rent or even put food on the table. My wife, who works at a local beauty salon, tries her best, but it’s not enough.”

As the country prepares for another round of public discourse around the Finance Bill, 2025, Ndirangu is urging fellow youths to shun protests and instead participate in public participation forums to voice their concerns.

“I would never advise anyone to join anti-government protests. Once you're in trouble with the authorities, you suffer alone,” he warned.

He’s calling on well-wishers to help him get an artificial leg and a job opportunity, so he can regain his independence and support his family again.

“I don’t want to depend on handouts. I want to work,” he said.

Ndirangu recently received a visit from members of the Young Kenya People Forum, a youth-led advocacy group formed to defend the rights and welfare of young people in the country.

Led by Paul Nderitu, the group donated food supplies to Ndirangu’s family and offered words of encouragement.

“We created this forum to amplify the voices of the youth and to protect their rights,” Nderitu said. “Daniel’s story is just one among many. We wanted to visit him and let him know he is not alone.”

The group has been engaging youths at the grassroots level, urging them to seek peaceful and informed ways of civic participation.

“We don’t want a repeat of what happened in 2024. Many young people who protested didn’t even understand what the Finance Bill entailed,” Nderitu added. “It’s critical that the government conducts adequate and timely public participation and that our youth engage constructively.”

Nderitu emphasized that while peaceful assembly is a Constitutional right, it must be exercised with caution and understanding.

“This country belongs to all of us,” he said. “We must find better ways to make it work for us.”

The Finance Bill, 2024, sparked widespread unrest across the country, with numerous youths injured and several others losing their lives during confrontations with security agencies.

The public outcry prompted a political truce between President William Ruto and Opposition leader Raila Odinga, culminating in a 10-point agreement, one of which included the proposal to compensate victims of the protests.

“Youths like Daniel deserve compensation for what they have gone through,” said Nderitu. “The government must fulfill that promise.”

As the debate over the Finance Bill, 2025, begins to gather momentum, Daniel Ndirangu hopes his story will serve as a cautionary tale and a plea for more responsible civic engagement.

“I just want my life back,” he said. “And I hope no other youth has to go through what I did.”