NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 13 – Kianjakoma brothers who died while in police custody were on Friday laid to rest, even as several leaders continued to pile pressure on the police over brutality.
Hundreds of mourners attended their funeral mass at Kianjakoma Primary school, also attended by several leaders among them National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi, lawmakers Moses Kuria (Gatundu South), Rigathi Gachagua (Mathira) and Cecily Mbarire (Nominated).
Speaker Muturi called upon security organs to expeditiously conclude their investigations and bring those culpable to book.
“I am personally pained by the deaths of the two brothers. I can’t imagine the immense grief the families of Emmanuel, Benson and Kimathi are going through. I stand in solidarity with Ndwiga’s family and leaders demanding justice,” stated Muturi.
” We need order in this country. We need discipline. The unfortunate results of the dearth of order and discipline in the country is what we are witnessing today: senseless killings of innocent people, including children,” a tough-talking Muturi said as he demanded radical reforms in the police service.
Muturi also delivered Deputy President William Ruto’s condolence message, who expressed his solidarity with the bereaved family.
“As a nation, we’re repulsed by this tragedy and we demand that the Kenya Police Service officers treat their fellow citizens with dignity and humanely,” he stated.
National Assembly Speaker @SpeakerJBMuturi reads the message of condolence from the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya, @WilliamsRuto to the family, friends and mourners of the slain #KianjokomaBrothers during their sorrowful requiem service.#JusticeforEmmanuelandBenson pic.twitter.com/ov5tDiZRHt
— Speaker JB Muturi's Communications (@JBComms) August 13, 2021
The two, Benson Njiru and Emmanuel Mutura, went missing after they were reportedly picked by the police at the Kianjakoma shopping center in Embu on August 1 for breaking curfew regulations. Their bodies were found at Embu Level 5 Hospital Mortuary on August 3.
An autopsy on the bodies showed they had multiple injuries in the heads and elbows.
Police in Embu claimed the two succumbed to injuries after jumping from a moving police vehicle at around 10.30pm, en route to the local police station.
The family however disputed the claims, saying the brothers were brutally murdered by the police.
Njiru was a first-year Bachelor of Laws student at the Kabarak University while Mutura had just graduated from the Don Bosco Boys Training Institute with a Certificate in Electrical and Solar Engineering.