Family in Kianjokoma demands justice for man killed in protests

Njiru Kiura, 75, knows pain. The widower lost his two wives and now his 35-year-old son, Moses Kimanthi, is no more.

Kimanthi was shot dead by police in Embu during protests over the killing of the Kianjokoma brothers Benson Njiru, 22, and Emmanuel Mutura, 19. The two are said to have died in the hands of police after they were arrested on August 1 for breaking curfew rules.

Kiura who hails from Kenga village, Embu County, is crying for justice and wants the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to conduct investigations alongside that of the slain Kianjokoma brothers.

He said his life had changed for the worse following the death of his son.

“Since the death and burial of my son on Saturday, I have not heard from any government quarters. I feel abandoned. The authorities should merge the investigations so that we can have closure. Let them probe my son’s death alongside the killing of the two brothers,” Kiura said.

The father of 17 said Kimanthi was his right-hand man and used to run all his errands, including managing his coffee and tea farm. The family owns a three-acre coffee/tea farm.

“Before he met his death, I had, sent him to cut grass for my cattle. Only to be called later and told that my son had been shot dead,” Kiura added.

The grieving father says he has not recovered since the news was broken to him, and after seeing the lifeless body of his most-trusted son. 

Kiura said his son completed his Standard Eight at Kenga Primary School in 2000 and joined him in tea and coffee farming at Kenga village, Embu North Sub-county.

He was not married but was content with helping his father run the farms and errands.

The deceased’s brother, John Ndwiga, said the family had lost a very humble man who never crossed the path of anybody.

“I work at Mungania tea factory and when I heard that someone had been shot, I was shocked to find that it was my brother. He was shot in the head, with the bullet going through his eye and exiting at the back of his head. His brain was scattered on the road,” Ndwiga added.

He lamented that the authorities had maintained silence on the matter.

“I wonder why the case of the two brothers has been given all the attention whereas we also lost our brother. Let the two cases be merged as we want justice to served,” he added.

Harassing residents

He observed that police officers from Manyatta had the habit of harassing residents for flouting Covid-19 containment protocols, with the sole intention of extortion.

Benson Muchagi, a family friend, appealed to the government to give the case the urgency it deserves alongside the murder of the Kianjokoma brothers. He noted that police officers had stopped patrolling Kianjokoma market after the incident.

“Let justice be served to the two families. Such senseless murders should not happen to any other family. Police officers should learn to follow the law and not take the law into their own hands. Anyone who goes against the law must be dealt with in courts of justice,” he said.

On Tuesday, six police officers implicated in the killing of the Kianjokoma brothers were remanded for 14 days by a Milimani court.

The ODPP further recommended the interdiction of former Embu North Sub-county police commander Emily Ngaruiya, and OCS Manyatta Police Station Abdi Yaya.  

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