A family is demanding justice for a man who was allegedly beaten to death by a matatu crew on Christmas Eve in Nairobi after an altercation over a minor accident.
Joseph Ng'ethe Kiarie (right) had celebrated his birthday a week earlier and the 33-year-old was looking forward to yet another cheerful event.
On the fateful day, he was on his way to Munyu Catholic Church in Thika, where he was to help in preparations for a Christmas Mass.
He had sent money to his sister to facilitate the buying of materials needed for the décor and other items for the Mass.
But as he drove out of a car wash in Zimmerman to join Kamiti Road, his vehicle was grazed by a minibus and an altercation ensued between him and the bus driver.
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According to witnesses, drivers and touts of the Zuri Genesis Sacco and Marimba Investment Sacco, which ply the Zimmerman-Roysambu route, escalated the row.
The former Maseno University student leader complained that the driver of the minibus was in the wrong but he was outnumbered in his quest for compensation for the damage to his vehicle.
Witnesses told The Standard that he was attacked by a number of drivers and touts.
According to his older brother, Peter Kamande, Kiarie was dead by the time he arrived at the Nema Uhai Ruaraka Hospital, located opposite Kasarani Stadium.
Kamande, who had last seen Kiarie a week before, said he was horrified to find the body of his younger brother lying on a slab at the Kenyatta University Mortuary.
“On the 16th of this month, we celebrated his birthday. He had just turned 33 and a day before Christmas he was no more. This was the worst Christmas of our lives,” he said.
According to his sister, Jane Mwangi, Kiarie, who was a marketing manager at Sparks Fresh Water, was a remarkable young man.
"He was a polite young man who never got in trouble. We are shocked at his early death," she said.
Kamande, who paid Kiarie's school fees in high school, said the family was pained at the cruelty meted out to their brother.
“He was so young and died over something so trivial. The injuries on his head and jaw are proof that the killers we cruel,” he said.
Kiarie's family and friends who highlighted the matter on social media have called for justice.
According to Kamande, a driver who tried to come to the aid of his brother was injured during the altercation.
“We understand that he is in hospital recuperating from injuries he sustained while trying to help,” he said.
Officers at the Kasarani Police Station said they were investigating the matter and that no arrests had been made.
Deputy DCIO Donata Otieno, however, said Kiarie's attackers would be brought to book. “We cannot give more information; this might jeopardise investigations,” she said.
