Protests in Kenya after hero motorcycle taxi rider shot dead

Motorcycle taxis - known as boda bodas - are a crucial part of Kenya's transport system

Hundreds of motorcycle taxi riders in Kenya have protested after one of their colleagues was shot dead at a hospital, allegedly by a police officer, as he helped a seriously ill toddler.

Daniel Mburu, 24, had taken the child for treatment after being saved from drowning, in the capital, Nairobi.

He was accosted by guards for riding his motorcycle to the emergency sector. After a scuffle the police were called.

Police have not commented. Activists have called for an investigation.

Motorcycle taxis - known as boda bodas - are a crucial part of the country's transport system.

"The young man was just saving another young soul as a good Samaritan, putting in mind that any emergency medical case is always given first priority no matter the situation," Kevin Mubadi, National Chairman of BodaBoda Safety Association of Kenya, said in a statement.

He called on members to be "calm" saying that he hoped that the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) will investigate the Tuesday incident.

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The Kenya chapter of rights group Amnesty International has also called for an investigation.

It said in a statement that it had reports that Mr Mburu was assaulted and taken to the hospital's security office where he was shot by a police officer.

Many on social media have asked for the officer who shot Mr Mburu to be arrested and prosecuted, but police are yet to comment on the incident.

Most of them commenting on social media say that it is another case of extrajudicial killing.

The toddler who was rushed to hospital "is responding well to treatment, so Mr Mburu is a hero," Irungu Houghton, the Executive Director for Amnesty International Kenya, told the BBC.