Gunmen on motorbike shoot dead Cigarette trader in Kisauni

Mrs Wilfred Soido being consoled by a neighbour after her husband, James Njenga, was shot dead outside their shop in Kisauni by unknown gunmen, who later escaped on a motorbike. Mr Njenga was a cigarette distributor. PHOTO | WACHIRA MWANGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The businessman who supplied cigarettes in the area is said to have returned to the shop which is operated by his wife.
  • Mrs Wilfred Soido said her husband James Njenga had come to pick some money to go buy more cigarettes.
  • She told the Nation that the men who shot her husband then rode away as they shot in the air.
  • Residents have called for enhanced security following the incident which they said is one of the several such incidents in the recent past.

A cigarette distributor was Monday shot dead by unknown gunmen outside his shop in Majaoni, Kisauni constituency.

The businessman, who supplied cigarettes in the area, met his death when he returned to the shop, which is operated by his wife.

According to the wife, Mrs Wilfred Soido, her husband, James Njenga, had come to pick up some money to go buy more cigarettes.

“My husband came and took some money from the shop at around 11.30am and walked out.

"He wore his helmet and just as he was about to ride off, I heard the motorbike fall.

“When I came out I saw two people approaching my husband.

"One ransacked the carrier on the motorcycle looking for money and the other one shot him after getting some money he had in his pocket,” Mrs Soido said.

ESCAPED ON A MOTORBIKE

She told the Nation that the men who shot her husband then rode away as they shot in the air.

The widow revealed that it was not the first time her husband had been attacked by armed robbers.

“The last time he was attacked was in February and he was injured in the head,” she said.

According to an eyewitness, there were three gunmen. Two accosted the businessman while the third one was on a waiting motorbike.

“The first gunshot prompted me to get out of my shop and on reaching out, I saw one of the gunmen carrying an AK-47 rifle. They had already shot him. They then took off while shooting in the air,” he said.

The residents said that security in the region had deteriorated, as there had been an increase in incidents of crime in the last few weeks.

Ms Pili Mwaragha said they felt threatened following the Monday incident, which was one of the recent such cases in the area. She called on the county government to intensify security in the area.