Thugs shoot and kill varsity student in Juja
Kenneth Ndung’u Kanyiri, 20, a second-year student at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, was shot dead by gangsters on the night of August 10, 2016. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Kenneth Ndung’u Kanyiri, 20, was a second year student at the university.
- His family was informed of the tragedy.
Armed thugs Wednesday night shot and killed a second year student of the Jomo Kenyatta University of Technology (JKUAT) while walking from the main campus towards his hostel.
Kenneth Ndung'u Kanyiri, 20, was shot in the head and was rushed to JKUAT hospital by passers-by but was pronounced dead upon arrival.
JKUAT student leaders told Nation.co.ke that as the Bachelor of Business Information and Technology student was walking together with his colleague, they were accosted by three armed thugs who were hiding in a nearby thicket.
"Kenneth's colleague surrendered to the thugs and gave out his laptop but Kenneth resisted and was unfortunately shot in the head. The thugs left with their laptops," said Anyungu Wanyungu, the president students’ union.
Juja Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD) Patricia Nasio confirmed the incident, saying that the incident happened at Oasis in Juja Town as the student walked towards his hostel which is about three kilometres from the university.
SHOT WITH A PISTOL
"We are investigating the motive behind the murder. The student was shot using a pistol," said Ms Nasio who added that the parents of the deceased were Wednesday night informed of the tragedy by passers-by who picked the student’s phone that was found lying at the scene of crime.
"The body was taken to Kenyatta University Funeral Home [and is] awaiting post-mortem," she said.
INSUFFICIENT POLICE PATROLS
Student leaders condemned the incident saying that crime in the area around the university was on the rise due to insufficient police patrols and lack of street lighting.
"We have had about eight crime incidences in a span of one month. The cases mainly revolve around rape, sodomy and laptops theft. It seems like there is a thriving second-hand laptop business in Juja," said Anyungu.
It is estimated that about 50,000 students reside in hostels located in the area surrounding JKUAT. For this reason the student leaders said the county government should ensure that insecurity in the area is dealt with.
"We are calling on Kiambu Governor William Kabogo to [put up] street lighting in the area surrounding the university so that crime can be reduced. Up to now only two suspects have been arrested," said Joel Onono, secretary-general of the students’ union.
