Youths protest the killing of colleague

By Boniface Gikandi

Makuyu Kenya: Demonstrations rocked Makuyu town with hundreds of youth accusing the police of killing their colleague on Christmas Eve. The youth camped at Makuyu police station, where they sought an explanation from Murang’a South OCPD Antony Onyango over the killing of Joseph Mwangi Karanja.

The youth said Karanja and hundreds of others had gone to celebrate Christmas Eve at Don Bosco Catholic Church in Makuyu town. Led by Julius Ngugi, the irate residents said the deceased was coming from the church when police, who opened fire on them, confronted him and others.

They asked Inspector General of police David Kimaiyo to constitute a probe team and order the arrest of the trigger-happy police officer. The demonstrators alleged that the police officers mistook the deceased for a man reported to have been stoning vehicles near a bar in Makuyu town.

Karanja, a construction worker in Nairobi, had returned home on Monday evening to join his family for Christmas.