On November 5, 2009, Mungiki spokesperson David Njuguna was shot lifeless in Nairobi.
He was attacked by unknown assailants with whom he had a confrontation shortly earlier than his premature demise.
Njuguna was accountable for the Kenya National Youth Alliance, which served because the political wing of the Mungiki group.
At the time of his homicide, the federal government led by Mwai Kibaki was cracking down on the Mungiki, which had been outlawed because of a collection of felony and extremist actions.
Table of Contents
Mungiki Spokesperson David Njuguna Shot Dead Along Luthuli Avenue
Originally a religious-cultural motion selling a return to conventional Kikuyu customs, Mungiki developed right into a violent sect and felony gang.
The group was recognized for extortion, significantly within the matatu (public transport) sector, in addition to homicide, beheadings, and compelled oathing rituals.
Before his demise, Njuguna had reportedly been seen arguing with 4 unidentified males inside a cell phone store on Luthuli Avenue in Nairobi.
Eyewitness accounts indicated that the confrontation escalated when two of the lads drew pistols and shot him within the chest at shut vary.
One witness noticed a short commotion, initially mistaking the group for metropolis council officers.
As Gitau tried to cling to a close-by door and cried out for assist, two of the assailants opened hearth on him, whereas the opposite two fired their weapons into the air to disperse onlookers. Gitau was reportedly shot 3 times and died on the spot.
Human Rights Groups Condemn Njuguna’s Murder
Following Gitau’s demise, human rights organizations criticized the police for conducting widespread extrajudicial killings of their crackdown on the banned Mungiki sect.
The deputy head of the Kenya National Human Rights Commission on the time, Hassan Omar Hassan, acknowledged that Njuguna Gitau had voiced issues for his security only a month prior.
“Njuguna came to our office on Friday, October 16, 2009. He expressed his fears for his life and wanted to share some information with us,” Hassan mentioned.
The authorities, via Internal Security Permanent Secretary Francis Kimemia, denied any police involvement in Njuguna’s homicide.
“The police are on full alert and will track down those responsible. It is easy to blame the police but let law enforcement conduct their investigation first,” Kimemia mentioned.
Kimemia claimed that stories from officers on the bottom indicated that Gitau had been arguing about cash with two different males.
Paul Muite, a lawyer representing Mungiki chief Maina Njenga—who had not too long ago been launched from jail—revealed that Njuguna had expressed fears for his life the earlier Friday, allegedly after being approached by members of the Kwekwe Squad, a police unit fashioned to deal with points associated to the Mungiki.
