Leaked footage of bouncers torturing, killing alleged phone thief proof Kenyans love violence

A man was beaten by Men in black clothes outside Rurii youth Polytechnic Polling Station in Nyandarua county during the Rurii ward by-election on May 18, 2021. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

Several weeks ago when I was in the village, I chanced upon a road accident scene where a boda boda rider had been knocked down by a milk van.

The rider had died, and the driver took off on foot to the nearest police station, a kilometre or so away, either to report the accident, or seek safety.

Residents, local boda boda riders and idlers were milling around the scene, and many were wondering aloud why the van had not been set on fire.

A few days later, I used the road and I was duly informed that a van that had been involved in an accident there was burnt.

Several questions ran through my mind, and the biggest was, why are we, Kenyans, so violent? Why do we scream that we want change, better politicians who care about others, justice yet we are not ready to change at the individual level?

Adore violence

By and large, we are a violent people. We adore violence in all its forms and it is our first form of getting justice.

Take for instance the latest case of a suspected phone thief getting clubbed to death in a Nairobi entertainment joint, as reported by the media on Friday evening.

The young man allegedly stole a mobile phone, and instead of the management of the club calling the authorities, its bouncers started torturing the young man, while one of them recorded him pleading with them to spare him.

He was later found dead and the entertainment joint says they are not responsible for his death because he left their establishment alive.

What was the point of beating him in the first place, and how did they ascertain that the injuries he obtained could not lead to his death? If they really cared, why did they not take him to the hospital?

They did not take him to the hospital because they felt that justice had been done, through violence, and did not care about his injuries. They are Kenyans. Very uncaring people.