A family in Mathare is mourning the death of their son, who was killed by police during the chaotic demolition of houses in the Mathare area.
Silas Wambua, a 25-year-old local, was killed in the spot he had called home for decades.
Wambua, the fourth child in a family of five, was killed by a gunshot in a little shack where his mother sold mandazi to support the family.
According to witnesses, police officers opened fire to contain the chaos that ensued during the demolition exercise, but one bullet struck Wambua's body.
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“I have lost the pillar of my life. Why did it have to be my son?” posed his mother, Rosalina Ngila.
“I cannot envision a future without him.” Wambua’s father, Zablon Ngila, also expressed devastation by the loss. she said
“They were in the middle of cooking mandazi when they heard the bulldozers. His mother asked him to help close the shop and bring the cooking utensils back to the house. He had just taken a few utensils inside and was removing the umbrella when we heard a loud bang. We rushed to him and found him fighting for his life. He had been shot in the chest,” the father recounted.
Wambua was pronounced dead upon arriving at the Blue House hospital, where his relatives rushed him.
Detectives from Pangani Police Station have promised an inquiry into the fatal shooting. Human rights NGOs requested immediate investigations and responsibility for the cops involved.
The human rights group has also requested that the demolitions be halted until a viable relocation plan for the impacted families is devised.
Wambua's body is at the City Mortuary, awaiting a post-mortem planned for next Monday.
