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Mob justice;
Murang’a university of technology students are on the spot after snatching a theft suspect from the hands of the police officers and lynched him.
The irate students demanded the police to hand them the suspect, Brian Muchiri Mwangi 2, from police custody and lynched him a few metres from the university gate in Kiharu estate in Kiharu constituency.
Residents accused the armed police of giving in to students demands and threats and handed over Brian to them so as to save themselves before driving off. The attempt to burn the body were repulsed by area residents who pleaded with them not to go to that extent after managing to kill him under a heap of stones.
The students who were complaining of increased cases of phone snatching in the area pounced on the young accusing him of being behind the theft before they frogmarched him on the street along the university before lynching him.
In the midst of his beating, the suspect who was bleeding profusely could be seen begging for his life as students attacked him trying to force him to reveal the other names of people they alleged worked with him in the theft syndicate.
The residents said it was wrong that university students had taken it upon themselves to administer deleterious justice yet there was no evidence of crime found on the victim.
The suspect who was buried on Friday at their home in Katiba, Kiharu, Murang’a county, 2KM from the institution was a well-known bodaboda rider near the institution, Kiharu estate and the St. Mary’s area.
During the burial, his body was first taken round the town escorted by hundreds of bodaboda riders and residents and later at the site where he met his cruel death where bodaboda riders and residents held his coffin high in the sky and conducted prayers as they demanded for justice.
Prior to his death, the suspect was frog marched toward the school before police from the nearby Murang’a police station were called by residents.
When the police arrived, they bundled the suspect into a police landcruiser but the students’ mobilised others and started shouting as they surrounded the vehicle threatening to stone the police officers and torch the vehicles.
The police fearing for their life, handed over the suspect to the students and left, where the students executed mob justice.
The students claimed the young man was part of a dreaded gang that has been terrorising students, robbing them of their properties in the area remarks that were denied by the locals.
“He was born and raised in this village, and we know him, and even it is the courts that have the authority to prove guilt or innocence, not the public or the police. Therefore, when any individual outside the court of law decides to declare guilt of a suspect, they are breaking the law and the Constitution,” Pius Mwangi said.
The incident has brought animosity between the students, residents and bodaboda riders who were baying for student’s blood vowing to avenge the death of their colleague before he was laid to rest on Friday.
The tension saw security committee rus against time to divert a disaster and conveyed three security meetings over the incident that was attended and chaired by Murang’a East DCC, OCPD and DCIO, university security and students’ leadership team, bodaboda riders to try and de-escalate the tension.
The residents and bodaboda riders were talked down not to avenge and agreed to bury the deceased and let the security and university team to handle the situation as they opened investigations into the incident.
The residents in their hundreds and bodaboda riders attended the burial which was peaceful as tens of armed anti-riot police in five police vehicles kept watch from a distance.
According to Murathi Magochi, a youth leader and a neighbor called for justice saying some few students cannot arrogate themselves the roles of judge, jury and executioner.
The students accused the police of doing nothing when they reported cases of thefts saying that it was one of the reasons that fueled mob justice after lacking faith in the police as complaints had been raised.
“The law provides that every person is innocent until proven guilty. Article 50(2)(a) of the Constitution provides that “every person has the right to a fair trial, which includes the right to be presumed innocent until the contrary is proved,” said Magochi.
