- It is alleged that James Muraga Maina and Daniel Nudhu Njoki died after being beaten and forced to eat raw maize and green peppers in Kahawa West
- Detectives have named a senior officer of the Administrative Police, a sergeant, and a farm owner as prime suspects
- Activists and family members condemned the killings, warning that the incident reflects a growing trend of law enforcement officers operating outside the law.
Anger, as well as sadness, is increasing in Kahawa West following the deaths of James Muraga Maina, 29, and Daniel Nudhu Njoki, 45, allegedly committed by police officers.
Source: UGC
The men are reported to have been beaten, forced to eat raw corn and green peppers, and eventually died from severe head injuries.
Investigators in the case have named a senior officer of the Administrative Police, a sergeant, and a farm owner as the main suspects in the murder, which has sparked new debates about police brutality.
According to Bernard Wanguru, a Nyumba Kumi official familiar with the case, the men reportedly entered the maize field without permission before being confronted.
“They were taken from the farm and beaten. But Nudhu was beaten and died there. Another, an officer, went and met him after he finished beating Nudhu. It is alleged that after realizing that James was in a bad condition, the officer took him to the police station, where he was advised to rush him to the hospital. However, when he arrived at Kenyatta Hospital, James was declared dead on arrival,” Wanguru explained.
What did the autopsy reveal about the Kahawa West murder?
Post-mortem results confirmed the brutality of the attack, with Agnes Nthenya Mutisya, a relative of the victims, revealing that it showed both men suffered multiple blunt force injuries to the head and back.
Activist Hussein Khalid, Executive Director of Vocal Africa, who attended the post mortem at the Kenyatta Memorial Funeral Home, described the incident in heartbreaking detail.
He noted that the pathologist reported that the victims’ stomachs contained unground corn and whole bell peppers, suggesting that they must have ingested the items shortly before they died.
According to the report, the two had red and green chilies, about 1,000 milliliters in their digestive tract when they died.
“The pathologist confirmed that the two must have had undigested food that included whole corn and whole, large green peppers that were not even swallowed, indicating that they were probably forced to eat them. The fact that they were not ground, means that they were killed or died shortly after eating the corn and peppers, red bell peppers,” he said.
Khalid added that the injuries were concentrated on the back, meaning the men were restrained or lying face down during the attack.
The activist condemned the alleged involvement of a police officer in such acts of torture, calling it a violation of the sanctity of life.
“Both of them, the cause of death was from blunt force trauma to the head, so they were hit in the head very badly and it caused bleeding in the brain, in the head, and that caused their deaths. So this is a terrible way for anyone to die. We’re asking, I mean, what kind of sick person would do something like that?” Khalid asked.
What is Khalid’s biggest concern about the conduct of the Kenyan police?
The killing has reignited national concerns about police conduct, with activists and family members calling for swift justice.
Khalid warned that the incident shows a growing trend of law enforcement officers operating without supervision.
“People are dying in terrible ways, where it is alleged that police officers, the very people who are supposed to protect lives, are today involved in brutal acts that cause death. With the police service, it is no longer a few bad people. Now there are too many. These are many bad people across the country. Something needs to be done to control this police abuse, this police violence, and police killings,” he lamented.
Source: Facebook
The incident has also revealed the allegations against the senior officer in the earlier attacks.
“While we were following up on this case, we found out about other cases where the same suspect officer is allegedly involved,” he revealed.
Francis Nzau, a construction worker, claimed he was beaten by the officer on petty theft charges after the trolley was stolen.
“I had gone to an area called Kiwanja when I met two officers who started to say that the trolley and drums had been stolen. They beat me until I said I agreed to something I don’t know, so they let me go,” Nzau narrated the incident.
Detectives from the DCI unit Kasarani they have already taken statements from four witnesses, while the officer in the middle of the investigation has recorded his statement, claiming that he acted as a Good Samaritan.
What did NPS do about Nandi police brutality?
Elsewhere, the National Police Service (NPS) announced that six senior officers will face disciplinary action following an attack by youths caught on CCTV while playing pool in Nandi Hills town. The incident occurred on the night of January 10, when eight armed officers stormed the pool hall, forced the youths to lie on the floor, and beat them with pool signs.
In a January 31 statement, the force said an internal investigation led to action against the Sub-County Police Commander and five other area commanders, stressing that the leaders are fully responsible for misconduct in their jurisdiction.
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