Families identify bodies, accuse police of killings

By JOB WERU

Nyeri, Kenya: Barely a day after five bodies were found dumped in Tagwa forest, Nyeri County, relatives of the deceased surfaced Friday and accused the police of the killings.

The families identified three of the victims as Yusuf Mwangi Mohammed, also known as Pique, 18, Mohammed Kaburu, 19, and Kelvin Kihuri, aged about 25.

Another victim was identified as Kingori alias Kings and his girlfriend, whom they said works in a Nyeri town lodging as a cleaner.

Relatives identified the woman as Martha Wairimu Gitonga from Kwa Huku area in Kieni East near Nanyuki town. Surprisingly, the four men are all from Ruring’u area, an estate prone to crime.

But Nyeri County Police Commander Agnes Lihabi exonerated the police from blame and urged the deceased’s Kin and other witnesses with information on the killings  to record statements to facilitate investigations.

“We are advising those claiming that police are to blame to record statements, so that we can try and reveal the mystery behind the deaths,” she said.

The families claimed the deceased were arrested by police officers who were riding in an Administration Police (AP) vehicle on Wednesday night.

Mariam Wanjiru, the mother to Mwangi said she received a call from her son’s friend, who informed her that he had been arrested.

“The four were watching a football match between Barcelona and Real Madrid, and after it was over, they boarded a taxi. But police arrived in a land rover, led by a female AP officer based in Ruring’u and they pulled them out of the taxi and forced them into the vehicle,” claimed Wanjiru.

She said another businessman who was at the scene informed her that King’ori and his girlfriend attempted to flee from the scene outside Sparks Bar in Ruring’u, but police apprehended them.

Mohammed Salim Karanja, Mwangi’s father said they searched for their son in all police stations, including Nyeri in vain. “We went to Nyeri Provincial General Hospital mortuary where we identified the bodies. Mwangi and Kaburu are neighbours, and the latter completed his KCSE last year,” he said.