A flying career and wedding bells stopped by thugs

Martin Gitehi Njuma got down on bended knee and proposed to his fiancé Rebecca Ngoiri just before Christmas.

Less than three weeks later, the young pilot lay in a pool of blood after being set upon by thugs in a horrific attack that has highlighted the dangers motorists face while driving around Nairobi at night.

Njuma was killed at the Makaburini area near Bunyala Road roundabout after his car stalled as he was driving to Westlands at around 4 a.m.

He died the same day, January 17, at a Nairobi hospital less than 24 hours after he was rushed there unconscious.

Njuma’s father, Captain James Njuma, said the last conversation he had with his son was about his pending nuptials.

“I spoke to my son on January 16, and he was worried about being on duty around his wedding day which was to be in May. He was trying to get annual leave around the same time to coincide with his wedding,” Captain Njuma said.

Becky Ngoiri is at a loss for words after losing the love of her life.

“I keep thinking that maybe he is in Bangkok or he has gone for training somewhere. I cannot believe I will never have lunch or dinner with him again,” Ms Ngoiri said.

Mr Njuma’s death has triggered a flood of reactions on the Internet with Kenyans demanding that police act against thugs who prey on motorists at well known danger spots in the city.

The Kenya Airways pilot spent the better part of his last day with his childhood friend and colleague Moses Karanja and left Mr Karanja’s house at midnight to attend a friend’s birthday party.

“I asked him to sleep over because it was late, but he said he had promised our friend that he would attend the party,” Mr Karanja said.

Mr Karanja was unable to accompany his friend as he was to fly to Lagos the next day. He awoke at 5 a.m., and 20 minutes later he got a call from the friend whose party Mr Njuma had attended.

“My friend informed me that Njuma was in critical condition after being attacked by thugs,” Mr Karanja said. The attack happened while the group was on its way from a nightclub in Lang’ata and was heading to Westlands to continue with the party.

Mr Njuma had called his friends and informed them that his car had stalled. They were in another car behind his, but when they got to his car, they did not find him.

“A police car came by later, and the officers assisted them to look for him. They found him lying unconscious a few metres from his car,” Mr Karanja said.

The officers who found him did not record the incident. They advised his friends to rush him to hospital.

Mr Njuma succumbed to head injuries inflicted by a blunt object. He had been hit with brutal force behind his left ear and he had a fractured skull.

His attackers took his wallet and mobile phone.

Such attacks have become increasingly commonplace in the area that has been infamous for nighttime attacks on motorists for many years. No known action has been taken against the thugs.

Other danger spots in the city centre and its environs are the Globe Cinema roundabout, Museum Hill Roundabout, the Railways stage, the main bus station and the City Stadium.

Mpaka Road in Westlands has also been added to the list as revellers are robbed of their mobile phones and other valuables almost every weekend and also regularly have their cars broken into.

Captain Njuma said the death of his only son would not be in vain.

Mr Njuma’s family and friends have come together to expose the area where many attacks have occurred, some fatal, and most unreported.

“I have been getting so many emails, and people are telling me how they lost their friends and relatives in the Makaburini area,” Ms Ngoiri said.

Mr Karanja also recounted how his blogs had elicited reactions from a number of people who have been attacked by thugs said to operate from a tunnel under Uhuru Highway.

“People have horror stories to tell about the stretch between the area known as Makaburini and the Nyayo Stadium roundabout,” Captain Njuma said.

A billboard has been put up at the spot where Mr Njuma was attacked, and a demonstration will be held there on Sunday from around midday. The demonstration is meant to sensitise people to the dangers at Makaburini to avoid further attacks and loss of life.

Mr Njuma’s family and friends will lay wreaths at the spot where the body was found. They are also pushing for the establishment of a police post in the area.

“We will exhaust all the avenues to make sure that no other family loses its members through such senseless killings,” Captain Njuma said.

Central police station boss Richard Muguai dismissed claims of a rise in crime in the city centre and its environs and said this was an isolated incident.

“The young man put himself in danger by driving at that time of the night,” he said.

“We are investigating the case, but the main question we are asking is why these people did not report the matter sooner.”