A bodyguard attached to Youth Affairs Principal Secretary Fikirini Jacobs has been linked to the shooting death of a young man in Kariokor, Nairobi, in an incident that has left family and friends demanding answers.
The deceased has been identified as Cecil Ouma, 28, a youth leader from Imara ward in Embakasi area. He was among about 60 young people who had been mobilised to attend a youth empowerment forum at Kariokor Social Hall in Kamukunji Sub-County on Tuesday evening.
According to witnesses, trouble began after the event ended around 5pm. The PS gave the youths some money, but the amount was rejected by a section of the attendees. Ouma was then fronted to follow the PS to his car to return the cash.
"We were about 60 youths and after the event the PS asked for our leader so that he can be given some money. We decided to send Ouma to his car," a witness identified as Lawrence Agolla shared.
Agolla added: "He boarded his car and when he came back he had been given Sh10,000 only. That was not enough for all of us, so we told him to take the money back to the car which had started moving".
It is alleged that Ouma was let into the car as the youths followed from behind. Shortly after, they heard a confrontation inside the vehicle.
"We heard as if there was a commotion forcing some of the youths to knock the car windows so as to know what was happening and ensure Ouma was safe," Agolla claimed.
"It was then that the door was opened and Ouma fell down bleeding as the vehicle sped off towards Pangani," the witness added. The vehicle then drove into a police station where several officers came out and shot in the air.
Other accounts indicate that a group of about 100 youths surrounded the official vehicle, demanding handouts. The crowd reportedly opened the vehicle's doors as the driver sped off towards Dr. Griffin Road. The vehicle's rear windscreen was smashed with stones, and some valuables belonging to the bodyguards were reportedly stolen during the chaos.
Ouma was rushed to Park Road Nursing Home, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. His brother Jeff Otieno said Ouma was shot on the left side of his chest and may have died from excessive bleeding.
"When I arrived at the hospital, he was already dead but heavily bleeding. It is unfortunate that the person who reportedly shot him managed to escape," a distraught Otieno said.
Police officers from Pangani police station arrived at the facility and picked up the body. However, instead of checking in at the station, they proceeded to Chiromo Mortuary.
Former Embakasi MP Irshad Sumra was among those who visited the facility and condemned the shooting, urging for calm among Ouma's supporters as investigations continue. Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Starehe have since taken over the probe. There has been no immediate comment from the PS regarding the incident.
0 Comments