By KPC Reporter

Days after police in Kisii County killed four robbery suspects, the family of one of the victims has accused them of extrajudicial killings.

The family of Chris Nyacheti, a graduate of Criminology from Moi University, now says that their deceased son was wrongfully killed while pursuing love.

Mr Nyacheti was killed alongside a young woman, whom his family says was his girlfriend.

Ezra Gichana, a friend of Mr Nyacheti, told the Press that the deceased had travelled from Kisumu using a TukTuk and decided to pass by home.

The visit turned out to be the last as Mr Nyacheti was gunned down shortly after.

Last Friday, Kisii County Police Commander Charles Kases said that Mr Nyacheti and the woman were killed the previous day at around 1.30am.

“We received a distress call from members of the public, which our officers based at DCC Marani office responded to,” Mr Kases said.

“It was reported that there was a robbery taking place at a bakery within Marani Township.”

Two police officers arrived at the scene and found that the alleged robbers had left, he said.

The officers then boarded a motorbike belonging to the bakery owner and gave chase where they caught up with the alleged robbers at Sombogo Tea Factory area.

A shoot out

They were allegedly escaping in a TukTuk, which lost control when a shoot out broke out, the police said.

Mr Kases reported that it was the occupants of the TukTuk who started firing at the police before they responded leading to the casualties.

Two people reportedly escaped from the TukTuk and ran away on foot, the police said.

It is this explanation by the police that has left the family of Mr Nyacheti with more questions than answers.

Samson Momanyi, father to Mr Nyacheti said that his son had never been a thief or crook.

“His friend took him from a Kinyozi (barbershop) where they went strolling and were to pick his girlfriend and bring her home,” said the distraught father.

“Along the way, it has been alleged that they were stealing and my son was shot dead together alongside the girlfriend. I am saddened for losing my son”.

Looking for answers

Mr Momanyi wants the police to provide answers as to how they came to the conclusion that his son was a robber.

“Let the government come out clearly on the motive of my son’s murder,” he said.

Of the two officers that chased the alleged robbers, it has emerged that only one fired 13 bullets from his firearm.

“One police officer was watching as his colleague was killing my son and his girlfriend. He fired 13 rounds out of 20 bullets which were in his gun,” Mr Momanyi claimed.

“We want his colleague who never fired to testify about what he knows.”

Mr Nyacheti’s mother, Mary Nyacheti, wants the police to provide the exhibits of anything that had allegedly been robbed from the bakery.

“My child was very disciplined. He has never even been taken to the local chief over any crime,” said mother.

Naftal Ondieki, a cousin, noted that the deceased had been jobless after leaving university and had just gotten a job where he was scheduled to report to four days from the day of his murder.

“We grew up together and he has never quarreled with anybody. He graduated from Moi University and has been hustling around,” said Mr Ondieki.

Mr Ondieki noted that he arrived at the scene of his cousin’s murder and noted that only a blow dry machine and a shaving machine was retrieved from the TukTuk.

“There was no weapon in the TukTuk. We want the police to show us the bakery that they robbed.

The duo, he said, were from an entertainment joint when they were killed.

Not adding up

“There is no thief who robs and escapes in a TukTuk. We also want to know why the police officers did not board their official vehicle during the incident,” said Mr Ondieki.

Mr Gichana, explained that the said bakery sells dried mandazis, popularly known as Kangumu.

The business is done on such a small scale that he doubted how it could be targeted by a robber with a gun.

Mr Gichana maintained that there were no two persons who escaped from the TukTuk during the shoot out.

“It was the two police officers who left the scene with their guns after killing our kin and his girlfriend,” he said.

The death of Mr Nyacheti, they said, is not just a blow to his family but the entire village as he was schooled by fellow villagers.

The family wants the two police officers and the bakery owner who carried them on his motorbike arrested to kick-start the investigations into the alleged extrajudicial killing.

“They killed our kin in cold blood. They should be arrested as investigations continue,” said Mr Gichana.