Teacher killed, three injured after riots break out over suspect's murder in Mombasa

A man has been killed and three seriously injured after riots rocked Tononoka and Lebanon in Mombasa over Hassan Guti's murder on Saturday.

The riots broke out at about 11am after his burial at the Kikowani Muslim cemetery.

There was panic after a group of youths started attacking everyone in sight with machetes, clubs and knives and robbing them.

According to reports, Mr Guti was driving with his wife and another woman on Saturday at around 2.30pm when gunmen on a motorbike sprayed him with bullets. The other occupants of the car were not injured.

Residents said Guti had recently gone underground after reports emerged from intelligence sources that he could be one of the youths who returned from Somalia after apparently joining the Al-Shabaab. Other reports indicate he was facing a murder charge and had also faced a past investigation over a stabbing incident.

"He had disappeared some time back and we don't know where he went but when he returned he got married," said a resident in Majengo.

Enraged youths are said to have snatched Guti's corpse from the Coast General Hospital mortuary and taken it to his family.

Following the riots, the Kenya Red Cross Society and sources at the hospital identified a teacher who was killed in the apparent revenge attacks. Those hospitalised are Gilbert Isiche, Stanley Amunya and John Mbae Muinde. Their clothes were drenched in blood as they waited in the casualty wing after surviving the gang attacks.

Mombasa Police Commander Robert Kitur said police were still assessing the damage caused in the mayhem. "My officers are carrying out an assessment of the situation to establish whether there are deaths and injuries," Mr Kitur said.

The rioters shouted that they were avenging Guti's killing.

Mr Amunya, an instructor at the Unik driving school in Mombasa, said he had just parked his car at Lebanon when a gang of 15 youths attacked him with knives, swords and studded clubs.

tried to flee

His left arm was cut as he fought off the gang and was left for the dead. He said the gang robbed him of Sh7,000, his driving and instructor licences, mobile phone, national identity card and a passport.

"I tried to fight the armed gang but they overcame me after they chopped my left hand. It was an ambush because I had not anticipated the chaos," Amunya said, adding that he was rescued by Good Samaritans who took him to hospital.

Mr Muinde said he saw a gang running towards him and fled for his life but he stumbled and fell before they caught up with him and stabbed him with knives in the chest. "They stabbed me and robbed me of my mobile phone and national identity card. I was later ferried to hospital in a tuk tuk," Muinde said.

And a journey to escort a relative turned sour for Mr Isiche after the gang chased him and stabbed him in the back.

Isiche said he was preparing to go to church after seeing off the relative when the gang came shouting and attacking everybody in sight. "I fled but the gang caught up with me after I fell down. One of them stabbed me in the back and I had to be rushed to hospital," he said.

Haki Africa Executive Director Hussein Khalid condemned the violence. "We urge the public particularly the youth to remain calm and avoid engaging in lawlessness. We urge the authorities to ensure that the town is calm and safe," Khalid said, calling for dialogue to end the persistent violence in the town.

Mombasa has been on edge for days following the resumption of what rights groups consider extra-judicial killings of imams.

The latest high profile killing happened on Tuesday when Sheikh Salim Bakari Mwarangi, the imam of Bilaal Rabaah mosque in Likoni slum was shot by unknown men.

Dozens of armed General Service Unit personnel were deployed to Majengo estate to prevent chaos after youths snatched Guti's corpse.

Majengo is a volatile part of Mombasa where mosques such as Musa and Sakina, associated with radicalisation, are situated.

Police did not respond to claims that anti-terrorism police executed Guti after branding him a terrorist.

Mombasa OCPD Geoffrey Mayek arrived on the scene within minutes on Saturday but declined to comment.