Family in shock after discovering kin was killed in protest

Kevin Madanga's family members and friends were overwhelmed after viewing his body at the Nakuru County Level Five Hospital mortuary on July 1, 2024. Madanga was shot and later succumbed to bullet injuries during the Anti-Finance Bill protests in Nakuru [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

A family in Nakuru is mourning after discovering that their son was among those killed in the Generation Z anti-Finance Bill protest last Tuesday.

Kevin Madanga died after he was shot three times when police opened fire when protestors attempted to invade the statehouse in Nakuru last week.

According to his mother, Violet Gwezima, Madanga, 23, was shot by the police and taken to the Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital for treatment.

However, a report shows that he succumbed to the injuries on Thursday. "Our efforts to search for Madanga have ended today after we found him in the hospital's mortuary, with his body listed with unidentified people," said Gwezima.

Gwezima cried for the life of her son, who was in his First Year at Teachers Training College in Migori County.

"I am in pain. My heart is aching for my dead son, who was very close to me," she wailed.

The single mother said she educated her children in pain and hoped they would rescue the family from poverty, but her hopes had been crushed.

The woman said her son disappeared last Tuesday, and they looked for him everywhere for over four days.

She expressed her concerns at how young people who were demonstrating peacefully, were killed by police officers who were in running battles with goons.

"My son wanted to defend his fellow Kenyans, and he was fighting for them, only to be killed! They should have killed me instead of him," she lamented.

She said the Kenya we live in is bad and asked President William Ruto to stop keeping quiet as hundreds of youths, who are not criminals, are killed and injured for defending the country.

Mercy Katheti, Madanga's sister, said she had lost the saviour of the family, who was willing to support them.

She said he was important to the family, and they are lost without him, noting they have no father.

"My brother had returned home because of a lack of school fees. He went out to vent the harsh economy, only to be murdered in the process!" she cried.

She cried for their mother, who sacrificed everything to ensure her children do not lack, only to lose what she treasured most.

Zachariah Ngugi said Madanga passed by his house in Ponda Mali at around 1 pm and expressed his intentions to go for the protest.

He said he advised him to watch the protest on TV, but something pulled him away.

"He said he was escorting his friend who lives 100 metres from my place. He delayed. I called him at 4 pm, but he did not answer. I did the same at 7 PM and 9 pm as I got worried, but he did not answer. In the morning, when I called, his phone was switched off," he said.

Ngugi described Madanga as a joyous and peaceful person who got along with many people.