Nyandarua youth storm police station with coffin, demand justice for murdered man

• The family and other residents expressed frustration over the lack of arrests by the time the burial was scheduled to take place, demanding a thorough investigation into the circumstances of his death.

File image of a police vehicle in a crime scene. PHOTO | COURTESY

By Peter Kangi

Residents of Shamata in Nyandarua County stormed a police station carrying the coffin of a 20-year-old man allegedly murdered last week, demanding swift investigations and the arrest of those responsible.

The residents disrupted his burial preparations on Wednesday, insisting that the funeral would not proceed until authorities took action over the killing of Josephat Gachema Karanja.

Karanja’s body was discovered last week at Teka Junior Primary School in Mwihang’ia village, Shamata, with visible injuries.

The residents carried his coffin on their shoulders to Shamata Police Station, where they blocked the road, lit fires and waved tree branches as they called for justice.

Led by local residents, including Joshua Macharia, popularly known as Josh Mosh, and Kamau Kanjambi, the protesters also raised concerns over what they described as increasing insecurity in the area.

Karanja’s brother, Stephen Macharia, and cousin, Mukuhi Kirathe, said the body had severe injuries that raised suspicions that he had been tortured before his death.

They also claimed that the deceased had burn marks on his chest and genitals, although the circumstances surrounding the injuries remain unclear.

The family and other residents expressed frustration over the lack of arrests by the time the burial was scheduled to take place, demanding a thorough investigation into the circumstances of his death.

Aberdare Sub-County Police Commander Pius Muthoka addressed the protesters, assuring them that police were pursuing the case and would work to ensure those responsible were brought to justice.

Police have since arrested one suspect, while investigations into the killing are ongoing.

The body was later collected and transported by police to the Nyahururu Referral Hospital mortuary on Wednesday evening.

Residents maintained that they would not allow the burial to proceed until justice was served, while urging security agencies to step up efforts to address rising crime in the area.