Eight young men, all casual laborers, died under a hail of bullets fired by police officers in Lunga Lunga slums in Makadara, Nairobi County on Sunday.
In a serious contradiction of the official police account that the eight were armed robbers who opened fire when ordered to surrender, interviews with locals reveal that the casual laborers had made several trips to the warehouse.
Locals say that some officers at the Lunga Lunga Police Post, which is about 150 metres away, were aware the casual laborers had made several trips to the godown.
Investigations also showed that some police officers had been at the scene where the eight young men were shot dead on Sunday night.
They had been hired to help with loading scrap metal from Sihra Coffee Machinery Ltd on Lunga Lunga Road by man identified as Gakuru alias ‘Uncle’ or ‘Kabuda’, who was shot dead.
Gakuru is the owner of the lorry, a white Isuzu HD registration number KAS 340M.
Locals and eyewitnesses have also contradicted the official report issued by the Industrial Area police who reported that they were informed by the control room that some thieves had broken into the warehouse.
The locals say that the casual labourers had been removing the scrap metal from the building in broad daylight and loading them into the white Isuzu truck, with the knowledge of at least three police officers from Lunga Lunga Police Post.
Seven of the slain suspects, all from Sinai slums, were hired by the owner of the lorry.
“The men who had worked on Thursday, Friday and Saturday could not be reached on Sunday, prompting Gakuru to hire a new team,” a resident told People Daily.
The mechanics who work near the building said on Thursday, the same lorry made one trip from the building and another trip on Friday.
On Saturday, however, they only cut the metals into pieces so that they could fit in the lorry.
On the fateful day, the lorry made three trips at around 8 am, 10 am and 2 pm respectively.
“There were police officers around who knew very well what was happening,” a source said.
The Makadara Sub-County Police Commander Abubakar Abdi had earlier said the labourers were found stealing goods from a company that was not guarded.
“They were challenged by officers to surrender but instead opened fire. The officers fired, fatally shooting eight of them. Four escaped and are believed to be armed,” Abdi said.
The white lorry was usually parked a few metres from the building and would sometimes be parked near Mareba, according to the locals.
Detectives are also trying to find out if the white lorry in question was one of the lorries that were used to ferry soil, from where three suspects dug a tunnel to the strong room of Kenya Commercial Bank, Thika Branch where over Sh50 million was stolen.
Gakuru, 45, is a resident of Mbotela Block C where he stayed with his wife and three children.
A local elder said Gakuru had claimed that he was a reformed man after he voluntarily surrendered his illegal firearm following the government’s gun amnesty.
“He said he had changed and now focused on transport and selling water in Mbotela. Everybody knew him and what he was doing including police officers who he was very close to,” the local elder said.
The other deceased suspect has been identified as Boaz Nyando, 30, from Mahanga in Vihiga. He was also approached by Gakuru who hired him as the lorry driver that day. The scrap metal was to be taken to a place on Jogoo Road and near City Stadium.
The widow of one of the slain suspects, Nyambura, is a mother of a three-weeks-old baby. Early this month, she gave birth to twins at Mama Lucy Hospital but one of the children died.
Her husband, who the neighbours only knew as Richard, was a mason who normally stayed in the slums when he did not have a job. He too was hired by Gakuru to help park the goods, at a fee.
“It is a sad day for the family. Three weeks ago, the family buried their child and a few months ago, their brother was also killed in an accident at Quarry stage on Outering Road,” a resident said.
The Sinai Paradise A chairman Willy Ngereza, said the other victim was only identified as Mwendwa, aged 33. Very little was known about the mason who would always remain within the slum if he had no job.
“We only knew him as Mwendwa. He had told a friend that they were assured that the job was genuine and that some police officers had been informed,” he said.
According to the police, four suspects escaped during the shootout which they claimed led to the recovery of two home-made pistols and five pangas.
However, residents who talked to People Daily dismissed reports that the suspects were armed.
