A family in Kisima Village, Nyahururu town, is seeking justice for their 17-year-old son, Stephen Njuguna, who was beaten to death for allegedly stealing a cloth worth KSh500 from a shop in Nyahururu town.
Angry residents on Tuesday May 14, 2024, took to the streets, demanding justice for Njuguna, claiming that there had been numerous similar cases in the previous months.
The residents have vowed not to be cowards in their pursuit of justice and have issued an ultimatum to the Laikipia County government to revoke the shop’s license and close it immediately.
“This shop has only been open for two years, but numerous cases of customer mistreatment have been reported, but the management has never come out and condemned such incidents,” said Samuel Wandeto, a town resident.
The residents have vowed not to be intimidated in seeking justice and have given an ultimatum to the county government of Laikipia.
Back at his home, a somber mood prevailed as family members and friends gathered to offer support to the bereaved family that had been negatively impacted by their son’s death.
Mr. James Muraya, his father, learned that his son was being held captive in one of the rooms at the shop and sent his mother to investigate the situation.
“After receiving a call from the shop’s owners, I sent my wife there, and she was told that Njuguna had stolen a cloth worth Ksh500, and the rules require them to pay 10 times the amount of cloth, which is Ksh5000,” Muraya stated.
The mother demanded to see her son, and when she finally met him, Njuguna complained of stomach pain, prompting her to inquire whether he had been beaten, which the workers confirmed.
”We took our son back home, but the pain was getting worse, so we were forced to take him to Nyahururu County Referral Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on Saturday evening by the doctor in charge,” Muraya added.
Mr. Muraya is now calling for prompt investigations to determine what really happened to his son, as the family continues to mourn their beloved son.
His body was moved to the Nyahururu Sub County hospital morgue.
