Violent protests erupt in Kayole as 38-year-old is killed by police enforcing curfew » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 19 – There were violent protests in Kayole estate in Nairobi Thursday following the killing of a 38-year-old man.

Locals said the boda boda rider was beaten to death by police on Wednesday night for allegedly violating the COVID-19 night curfew.

He was identified as John Kiiru.

“He was on a motorcycle heading home when they were stopped by police who started beating them up, but the rider of the motorcycle fled. This man was not lucky because he was beaten to death during the confrontation,” said Justin Ngare, a resident who lives not far from the scene of the shooting at Tushauriane matatu stage.

“He is known well in this area because he is a boda boda rider, but he was on someone’s motorbike when they were stopped,” he said.

Esther Wanjiru, the widow to the deceased, said her husband called her shortly after midnight and told her that he had been assaulted by police.

“I did not hear from him again until this morning when his body was found.”

Locals blocked roads and lit bonfires Thursday as police tried to take away the body that was still lying at the scene.

Several shops were looted, and others vandalized during the chaos that rocked Kayole for the better part of Thursday before the body was eventually taken.

Police fired live bullets and teargas to disperse the violent crowd of youths, mainly boda boda riders.

“They are just robbing people, they have stolen my phone and wallet and I have seen them beat pedestrians and steal from them. We need police to intervene. We can’t open shops now,” Mercy Mwangi said, standing meters away from her second-hand clothes shop.

“We are addressing the matter and an investigation will be undertaken to establish the circumstances under which he died. We appeal for residents to be calm and stop the chaos,” said Augustine Nthumbi, Nairobi police chief.

He declined to comment if the man had been killed by police as alleged.

Thursday’s incident follows the killings of two brothers who were beaten to death by police in Kianjakoma, Embu two weeks ago after arrest for violating curfew.

Six police officers were arraigned this week, but no formal charges were read out to them. The court granted police two weeks to finalize murder investigations before they can plead.

The two brothers were identified as Benson Njiru and Emmanuel Mutura. They were both arrested on August 1, but it was until August 3 when their bodies were discovered in a local mortuary after frantic search by the family.

Locals staged violent protests and even torched a police car leading to the transfer of two senior police officers and arrest of the six who were arraigned.