Chaos erupted for the better part of the day Monday at Kwamaiko shopping centre in Githunguri sub-county after two men were allegedly killed by a bar operator over an unpaid beer bill.
Police were forced to use tear gas to disperse the crowd, which broke into the bar and looted stock and furniture.
Normalcy only returned after area MCA Karungo wa Thang’wa arrived and pleaded with the charged crowd to cool down and give police a chance to do their work.
Peter Muchai and his friend James Ndichu are alleged to have drunk at Wamarrions bar and failed to pay an accrued bill of Sh170.
A woman and a man are said to have then descended on the two young men with kicks and blows, beating them to death.
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Heard screams
Bar maid Ann Wanjiru said she was attracted by screams to a separate section of the outlet at around 11pm on Sunday as she was recording the day’s sale.
“The bar has two sections; one selling Keg and the other bottled beers. In the keg section, that is where I heard screams and found the two young men being beaten up,” she said.
She said she tried in vain to plead with the two to stop the beating but was informed that they had gained entry into the bar through the roof top and stolen a beer costing Sh170.
Her attempt to video-tape the incident was futile as her phone was snatched and smashed on the floor, forcing her to flee.
The bodies of the two were found dumped at a compost pit near the bar and taken to the City Mortuary.
Veronica Wathera, the mother of Mr Muchai, said she was shocked by the death of her son and demanded for proper investigations into the incident.
Residents claimed a county government officer and a policeman had tried to cover up the incident by saying the two were lynched by a mob.
