Witness recounts how Kianjokoma brothers were beaten up by police
A childhood friend of the two slain Kianjokoma brothers who were murdered at the police custody last year narrated their last moments together.
John Mugendi Njeru spoke of the pain of losing his childhood friends Benson Njiru Ndwiga and Emmanuel Mutura Ndwiga through what is suspected to be police extra-judicial killing, just hours after they met in a local joint to while away the evening.
He was the first witness to take the stand in the hearing of the murder case against six police officers accused of killing the two brothers.
Njeru told court that on August 1 last year, he was at a play station shop within Kianjokoma when Benson called him, asking if they could meet because he wanted to tell him something.
“We were the four of us. We walked through Kianjokoma town then I brought up the idea that we go have drinks but the two brothers declined, saying they didn’t want a hangover,” Njeru said.
He was with another friend by the name Chris Dan.
He narrated how Benson and Emmanuel were jovial and they hanged out together at the Mwamuri Club but they didn’t drink any alcohol.
According to him, at around 10.01pm, they left the club and were walking home when they noticed a police vehicle. Njiru told them to run to escape the police, who were enforcing curfew rules.
“We started running back but Emmanuel tripped and fell. His brother Benson went back to encourage him to continue running while I went a few metres and hid in a ditch,” said Njeru.
From his hideout, he saw a police officer with a club walking towards Mutura, and when he caught up with the other brother (Njiru), he started hitting him with the club before bundling him into the police vehicle.
Fearing for his life, Njeru sneaked back home, which was just three minutes walk from the brothers’.
The next morning, he received a call from the two brothers’ father, asking him if he knew where they were. He explained what had happened the previous night, prompting the family to commence a search at the police station.
“We also agreed with other friends to look for them at the police station, but when we reached Kianjokoma market, we heard rumours from one of the traders that they were dead,” he said.
Senior State prosecutor Tabitha Ouya told Justice Daniel Ogembo that they will demonstrate that the deaths were not an act of God but were caused by the conduct of the police officers.
“It is regrettable that the accused police officers could have used reasonable means to avoid the deaths even if the brothers had violated curfew orders. Our case is that the killing was premeditated, planned and executed by all the accused persons,” said Ouya.
She added that it was wrong for the accused persons to end the lives of young, promising men who were only helping their parents to run their businesses, and that it was painful that they died at the hands of people who should have protected their lives.
The six officers facing trial over the murders in Kianjokoma village in Embu North sub-County are officers Benson Mputhia, Consolata Njeri, Martin Wanyama, Nicholas Sang, Lillian Cherono and James Mwaniki.
