NAIROBI, Kenya June 7 – What began as a walk home after watching the UEFA Champions League final ended in a horrific mob attack that claimed the lives of three young men in Machakos town.
Kennedy Mutiso, 29, his younger brother Stanley Muthungu, 22, and their friend Charles Mutiso, 25, were beaten, doused with petrol and set ablaze by a mob in the early hours of May 31 after being falsely accused of attempting to hijack a vehicle, according to investigators and their families.
The three had just left a local entertainment spot where they had watched the Champions League final when tragedy struck. Their families say the incident began when one of the men was allegedly knocked down by a vehicle along their route home.
As they confronted the driver seeking an explanation, the situation escalated dramatically. The driver allegedly raised an alarm claiming he was under attack by carjackers, attracting boda boda riders and members of the public to the scene.
Within minutes, a crowd had gathered and turned on the three men. They were assaulted before being set on fire, suffering severe burns that ultimately proved fatal.
The victims’ bodies were later taken to Machakos Level 5 Hospital mortuary, where they were initially recorded as unidentified persons. Their families spent four agonising days searching for them before discovering their remains.
Postmortem examinations revealed the trio suffered extensive burns covering between 90 and 95 per cent of their bodies. Medical findings also showed they inhaled large amounts of carbon monoxide during the attack, significantly contributing to their deaths.
Lawyer Musyoki Mutava, who is representing the families, described the killings as a devastating loss to the community and called for justice.
“Their lives were cut short in a very cruel manner. If anyone knows what transpired that night, they should come forward because these families deserve answers,” he said.
Meanwhile, a Machakos court has allowed investigators to detain Christopher Mwenda Robert, a Probox driver linked to the incident, for 21 days as investigations continue.
Prosecutors told the court that Mwenda allegedly knocked down one of the victims before raising an alarm that he was being carjacked, triggering the chain of events that culminated in the deaths of the three men.
Investigators are now reviewing CCTV footage, interviewing witnesses and gathering additional evidence as they seek to establish the full circumstances surrounding the killings.
For the grieving families, however, the focus remains on securing justice for three young men they describe as hardworking, close-knit friends whose lives ended in a brutal case of mistaken identity.
