Kenyan Newspapers Review, July 9: Kitengela Mother Forced to Stay with Son's Body after Shooting
On Wednesday, July 9, the newspapers spared pages for the agony suffered by families of victims of police brutality on Saba Saba day.
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Source: UGC
One of the newspapers highlighted how a woman in Kitengela was forced to stay with her deceased son's body after a hospital in Kitengela refused to admit it.
1. The Standard
The newspaper reported on the difficulty a Kitengela family had in admitting their deceased kin's body to the mortuary after the shooting in the Saba Saba protests.
The family of Brian Kimutai, a 21-year-old protester who was allegedly shot by a police officer during the Saba Saba commemoration in Kitengela, were stuck with his body in a car at the Kitengela Sub-County Hospital morgue for 14 hours after the hospital management refused to accept the body.
Brian, who was a bodaboda rider, was declared dead on arrival at the Kitengela Sub-County Hospital, where he was rushed during Monday’s protests that rocked the town.
Angry protesters later surrounded the hospital for about five hours, trying to prevent police officers from accessing the body.
In the evening, the family, aided by supporters, took the body in a private car to their home, a few metres from the hospital.
On Tuesday morning, July 8, the family returned the body to the hospital mortuary, but hospital management refused to accept the body, causing a standoff.
The body, wrapped in sheets, was in the passenger seat of a station wagon.
Ann Nyawira Gikunju, Brian’s mother, said she decided to take her son’s body home after learning that DCI officers were planning to move it to the city mortuary without her permission.
“We kept the body in the car all night in the parking lot of the apartment building. We could not allow the police to take it to a distant morgue,” said Gikunju. “The police officers are harassing me after they killed my son. I will fight for his rights until the end,” she said.
The mother said her son was the victim of a personal feud between her and the police officer who shot him, claiming that she had been threatened by the officer, whom she knew.
"We felt that the police wanted to take the body to destroy evidence. We could not let them. That is why we decided to remove the body from the hospital on Monday night," she added.
The body was later admitted to a morgue in Athi River, Machakos county.
2. Daily Nation
The newspaper reported on the opposition's call to Kenyans after the chaotic Saba Saba Day protests.
In their presser on Tuesday, July 8, the opposition figures urged the public to disengage from businesses, services, and institutions linked to President William Ruto’s administration, citing allegations of government-backed violence, ethnic targeting, and unlawful killings.
They announced plans to compile evidence of these abuses and pursue legal action independently to seek justice for victims of police misconduct.
The People's Restoration Justice Commission (PRJC), established on June 24, will oversee the collection of this evidence, some of which will be submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions for potential legal proceedings.
The leaders further claimed that the administration has committed acts that amount to crimes against humanity.
"We issue this call to action: Boycott the businesses, services and institutions owned, operated or publicly linked to this regime and its enablers. We will publicise a list of shame and call on the public to share any information on businesses affiliated with this list." they said.
They claimed that the state was deploying rogue police and sponsored militias have been deployed to silence dissent through targeted killings, intimidation, abductions, looting and destruction during anti-government demonstrations.
The leaders said the acts are part of an orchestrated crackdown on Kenyans, especially in regions perceived to have politically parted ways with the Kenya Kwanza administration.
3. People Daily
The newspaper covered the events in the Senate where Isiolo governor Abdi Guyo was saved from impeachment.
Guyo's impeachment presented by the Isiolo county assembly was prosecuted in a Senate plenary on Tuesday, July 8.
The senators threw out the ouster owing to a technical blunder by the county assembly.
In their preliminary objections, Guyo's defence team convinced the senators that there was no proper sitting to impeach the county boss.
They also cited the determination by the High Court in Meru, which determined that the impeachment was null and void after the MCAs flouted the order secured by Guyo to block the impeachment motion.
4. Taifa Leo
Taifa Leo spared a page for First Lady Rachel Ruto's admission that leaders may not fulfil their promises.
Speaking in Kilifi, the first lady acknowledged that addressing the water shortage problem in the arid Ganze area is crucial to the development of the kitchen garden scheme.
She visited Ganze to celebrate progress in the fight against hunger and to promote her project called Lisha Mmoja, Angamiza Njaa.
However, she faced an outcry from residents and school administrators who said the well-intentioned initiative may not succeed.
Rachel admitted that despite well-intentioned promises from leaders, the reality on the ground can hinder implementation.
"Sometimes we go around the country making promises, but the reality is whatever we say cannot work. I can promise to dig deep wells, but they dry up or the water becomes salty," she said.
She promised to meet with Kilifi leaders to discuss long-term strategies to solve the problem of water shortage without wasting public resources.
"We will get water but how to achieve that, that is what we want to discuss with the county, the central government and my office to find a permanent solution - not a short-term one, and then we move forward," she said.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
