Mombasa, Kenya: The brazen killers of Mombasa who have sent a chill down the spines of many residents are back.
On Monday, at approximately 11.30am, three men totting guns descended on Majaoni, Kisauni, on a deadly mission to kill.
The gangsters, who included a woman, stopped a local cigarette distributor, James Njenga, 34, plucked him from his motorcycle, threw him onto the ground and ransacked his pockets, taking away money and cellphones before shooting him in the head and chest in full view of his wife.
The gunmen calmly took off before police arrived to take away the body. The killing took place a few kilometres from Kiembeni police post, in the crime-prone Kisauni.
“Police are on the trail of the killers and very soon we will arrest the suspects,” said Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Marwa yesterday, but Kisauni OCPD Richard Ngatia, refused to discuss this matter.
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According to relatives, Monday’s killing was not the first attempt on Mr Njenga’s life. Men, also on a motorcycle, once tried to stab him and the incident was reported to police.
The gunmen after killing Njenga embarked on a shooting spree as they fled, injuring a female motorist and three other people.
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“One of the attackers sported dreadlocks and they aimed straight at his (Njenga’s) head. After shooting him, they fired at other motorists and in the process shot a woman,” said Henry Kamau, a witness to Monday’s shooting.
As panic spread through the neighbourhood, there was no police officer in sight; a growing trend in Mombasa where security forces either come late or arrive at the crime scenes too late to be of any help other than taking away bodies of the victims.
When we sought for comment, Mr Ngatia and his DCIO initially claimed they had no authority to discuss the issue, or were in meetings and promised to call later, but never did.
Kisauni DCIO Joseph Kioko had told The Standard on Monday that he was not able to comment on the matter directing us to the OCPD.
“The OCPD is the one who can comment on the matter,” said Mr Kioko.
The Kisauni OCPD, however, throughout Monday and yesterday said he was in a meeting.
The robbing and killing of Njenga was not the only thuggery in Mombasa town and its neighbourhoods on Monday. Earlier, two foreigners from India and Tanzania were attacked by gunmen in a motorised rickshaw (tuk-tuk) and robbed of cash and passports outside the Jundan Mosque, Mombasa’s CBD.
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On Sunday, a tuk-tuk driver was also attacked by unknown gangsters who smashed his vehicle at Kibokoni, in Mombasa’s Old Town, gouged out his eye with a knife, and disappeared to a nearby alley.
On the same day, burglars broke into the premises of Muslims for Human Rights (Muhuri) and carted away laptops, money and other valuables after destroying the CCTV system and trussing up night guards, according to Muhuri’s Executive Director Hassan Abdile.
“It is such a blow to the organisation as some of the things taken contained sensitive documents on human rights abuses, extra judicial killings and work on the county government among others,” said Mr Abdile yesterday.
On March 14, a teacher was abducted at gunpoint, as he prepared to deposit money in a bank along Mombasa’s Moi Avenue.
The teacher, Manase Shiuka of Mwewa Academy was bundled into a car, drugged by four gangsters and later dumped in a forest at Mvita village in Taita Taveta on Sunday, after days in captivity.
On March 15, Faraj Khatib was stoned to death by a gang in Shimanzi. After his burial at Kikowani cemetery, unknown youths, apparently aggrieved by his killing, stabbed anyone in sight on their way from the funeral.
Speaking to The Standard, Khatib’s father, Khatib Mwishee, who is the chairman of Masjid Musa, previously associated with radicalised youths said he did not think his son’s murder was related to religion.
