Deaths linked to family, friends dampen festivities mood
On the evening of December 31, 2017, a 66-year-old man is said to have called several neighbours in Mulele, Meru County to help him beat someone he suspected had stolen his assets.
Mr James Itaru allegedly tied up his son Julius Thuranira, 27, with a rope and with the help of his neighbours, they beat him.
Police say Mr Itaru later realised that his son had been seriously injured and he died as he was preparing to take him to hospital.
Mr Itaru took the body to Tigania Police Station where he told officers that his son had stolen a motorcycle among other things before escaping.
Mr Itaru was arrested.
BEATEN TO DEATH
Earlier, in Chebelat Village in Kipsigon, Bungoma County, police were holding another father, Mr Solomon Kwemoi, 27, for allegedly beating to death his six-year-old son Dennis Kiprop.
The man, according to reports at the Kipsigon Police Station, had sent his son to their neighbour’s house to get some milk.
“The boy delayed and his father went for him when he found him outside playing with other children and ordered him to go back home,” stated the report.
It added: “While at home, the father beat the boy with a belt. He kicked him in the stomach and the boy fell down unconscious, prompting the father to board a motorcycle and take him to hospital where he died.”
The father was arrested.
These two are part of the killings reported in the country during the festive season.
FAMILY MEMBERS
Police reports indicated that most of these killings were committed by acquaintances and family members.
In one of the cases in Changamwe, Kilifi County, New Year’s celebrations turned tragic when a group of youth who had gathered to usher in 2018 engaged in a fight where one of them died after being stabbed by one of the friends.
Two other friends were seriously injured.
Mr Calvin Musau, 30, had been stabbed in the neck. The injured, Mr Elijah Kinuthia and Mr Enock Mutua, had been stabbed in the head and chest respectively and were taken to the hospital.
Several other cases of murders were reported, which include those involving couples, siblings and neighbours.
MURDERS, SUICIDES
Police said murders, suicides and sudden deaths were the most reported crimes in the country during the festive season.
“We suspect that most of the sudden deaths were caused by overindulgence in alcohol and foods prohibited by doctors because of pre-existing health complications and many other causes,” said Nairobi County Police Commander Japheth Koome.
Records show that there were 38 cases of sudden deaths between December 24 and January 3.
In a case at Kajiado Guest House in Nairobi’s Eastleigh, Mr Wahiu Maigua reported that he received a call from doctors, informing him that his brother Kamenju Maigua developed breathing problems and died while they were trying to resuscitate him.
In Nairobi’s Parklands, on December 24, a foreigner from Lesotho identified as Mthwalo Mthwalo died at the Parklands Sports Club. The cause of death is yet to be established.
The police reports showed a total of 24 suicides occurred in the same period countrywide.
Out of these, 17 murders, 4 suicides and 14 cases of sudden deaths were reported on the first day of the year, which recorded the highest.
Post a Comment