Outrage as two Murang’a men killed by Del Monte security

Two young men have been killed within Del Monte farm in Murang’a County within a span of a week, sparking outrage from the locals.

The latest victim Stephen Marubu is said to have been shot dead by a police officer who was in the company of the company’s security guards patrolling the farm last Tuesday evening.

Marubu is said to have been walking with a friend on a road that cuts through the farm when they bumped into the security men who started harassing them.

“Marubu lifted his hands up as a sign of surrender and told the guards that we were just walking home, but the police officer didn’t even listen to him and just shot him point blank on the chest,”  said Marubu’s friend who declined to be named.

“We were not carrying any pineapples with us and the policeman shot him in cold blood because we were not doing anything wrong,” he added.

Residents who rushed to the scene overpowered the guards and the police officer, setting ablaze the vehicle they were using to patrol the vast pineapple farm.

They accused the company of using the security officers to terrorize and even kill them without provocation.

The angry mob also barred the police from collecting Marubu’s body which lay on the ground for more than five hours.

This comes as another family from Kabati in lower Murang’a is seeking justice for their son who was allegedly killed by a Del Monte security guard last Friday.

Michael Murigi, 31, is said to have been ran over by a vehicle belonging to G4S security firm which has been deployed by Del Monte to assist in patroling the fruit farm.

Murigi’s mother Margaret Njeri said her son was wrongly accused of stealing pineapples from the farm, claims which she denied saying he was a casual labourer and a farmer.

Njeri said when she got the report of her son being ran over by the vehicle, she went to Ngati police station but the officers accused her of aiding him in the theft of the fruits.

“We grow vegetables and sell them in the markets in Thika and my son has never been involved in stealing the pineapples from the farm,” said Njeri.

“If they had any suspicions about him, they should have arrested him and taken him to court rather than killing him in such a brutal manner,” she added.

The residents here admitted that they usually pick pineapples from the farm for eating but no selling as the company alleges.

Both families are now demanding justice for their slain kin and they demand those who killed them arrested and charged.

This comes even as four policemen from the local Ng’ati station were transferred following the incident which sparked outrage.

Central regional police Commander Samuel Ndanyi said the officer commanding station, his deputy and two other officers will be replaced by new ones as investigations into the allegations of their involvement in the violation of human rights continue.

“We will look into the issues that have been raised by the residents, and those that fall under the mandate of the police service will be addressed as soon as possible,” said Ndanyi.

He also urged the residents to ensure they report any incident of assault through multiple channels to avert any attempt of cover up.

“Some people are assaulted and only speak out when journalists come around, but checking the records from the police no such incidents are reported,” said the police boss.

Maragua member of parliament Mary Waithira who visited the scene said the trend of having people killed by the company’s guard is worrying and it has to come to an end.

The MP said the guards are supposed to arrest anybody they find stealing the farm produce but not killing them.

She called upon the cabinet secretary for Interior Kipchumba Murkomen and the inspector general of police Douglas Kanja to look into the matter and have the cases thoroughly investigated.

“It’s barely three days after we lost another young man killed by the same guards and we cannot allow this trend to continue,” said the legislator.

“There is no law that allows the killing of anybody when they are found doing something wrong,” she added.

Waithira also charged that officers at the Ng’ati station have been compromised by the Del Monte Company which gives them money to cover up any incident that is being reported here.

She said the police have been manipulating the reports by the victims by twisting the statements to incriminate them.

The two cases of the killing of the locals puts the Del Monte company at the spotlight again over the violations of human rights.

Over the years, cases of people being killed and their bodies dumped in the dams in the farm have been reported in an unending conflict between the company and the local community.

Last year, the security agents and the company launched ‘linda mananasi’ campaign aimed at curbing pineapple theft at the farm, but it’s still proving difficult to stem the vice.