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One of the 39 young people who died in protests against the 2024 Finance Bill was laid to rest at his home in Kahuho village, Gilgil, yesterday.

Michael Kihuga, 28, was shot thrice in the abdomen by the police in Nakuru on June 25, barely a week after his father Martin Kimani was buried.

Tributes poured in for the late Kihuga, who was a professional fashion designer, with mourners saying he was a hardworking man who always fought for what is right.

During the emotional sendoff, his close friends formed a dance group and paid their last respects to him in his favourite dancing styles next to his casket.

‘Father figure’

Kihuga’s mother, Rose Nyaguthii, described her pain, saying the young man died when she was still mourning her husband.

“My heart is heavy with sorrow that I never imagined I would have to bear. You were taken away from us too soon and words cannot express the pain I feel,” said Nyaguthii.

She went on to describe Kihuga as kind-hearted and generous. “It breaks my heart to think of things you will never get to do and all the dreams that will remain unfulfilled,” she said.

His younger brother, Christopher Macharia, recounted their childhood memories and the care he gave him.

“Since the passing on of our father, you became the father figure in our house. We shared a bond of love and care, which you are no longer here to share,” said Macharia.

His cousin Michael Kihuga described him as selfless. “His dedication to his country and his people led him to stand up against oppression and it was this courage and conviction that defined him,” he said.

His cousin, with whom he shared the name, led a group of his age mates in carrying his casket as he raised the Kenyan flag before reciting the national anthem to kick off the late man’s final rites.

Young people, who only identified themselves by one name, paid tributes to Kihuga even as they condemned the police action that cut short his life.