Samuel Ragira died fighting for students, traders at Klabu 36 Nairobi

Former University of Nairobi student leader Samuel Ragira, who was fatally attacked on Thursday night, died fighting for the welfare of students and traders at Klabu 36 market.

A day before he was gunned by unknown assailants, Mr Ragira had taken on police and goons whom he accused of "terrorising" traders and students at the market.

SH10,000

He accused the thugs, suspected to be members of the outlawed Mungiki sect, of demanding Sh10,000 from the small-scale businesspeople as market fees.

But what disappointed the politician, who unsuccessfully ran for the Kilimani Ward representative seat in 2017, was the fact that the defenceless businesspeople were being harassed under the watch of police.

Here is what Mr Ragira posted on his Facebook account, OCS Ragira, on March 13, 2019:

“It is unfortunate that Mungiki are terrorising Klabu 36 traders with pangas and guns taking advantage of the situation. They are demanding 10K from every trader to build a kibanda.

“This issue is disturbing as the police are watching it happen. Students are being harassed and others losing their phones. We want to know why the police can side with people terrorising innocent Kenyans.

“Why should a mama mboga pay 10K to unknown people to do business? Are we managed by terrorists in the name of police? I reported this matter to Jogoo House control room and police were sent but they instead resorted to ignore the situation.

“We now appeal to the County government and National government to tell us who are these criminals. We cannot allow. Personally I was threatened by a panga. So where are we heading as a nation?

Sad!”

And in a new twist to the suspected murder, police officers who took Mr Ragira’s body to City Mortuary recorded that he was fatally attacked by “a mob”.

GUNS

The Kenya Police Service is, once again, on the spot after its officers were linked to the murder.

The Nation has also established that Mr Ragira’s body was ferried to the mortuary by a Kileleshwa Police Station official car.

The body arrived at the morgue at 7.25pm.

The police officers recorded the cause of death as “mob injustice.”

“He was brought here while still bleeding profusely. Blood was still oozing from his back,” a source at the mortuary told the Nation.

An amateur video that has since gone viral on social media shows Mr Ragira’s body lying inside the morgue, with unknown people counting the number of bullet holes in his body.

Mr Ragira is reported to have met his death when he confronted the said goons who had been terrorising traders for days.

The Nation has learnt that for the last one week, the mean-looking youths, said to be armed with guns and an assortment of crude weapons, have been demanding fees from the traders.

“They ask for money according to the size of the land that you are running your business on. The amount ranges from Sh10,000 to Sh200,000,” a trader who requested for anonymity for security reasons told the Nation.

The trader claimed that they have been operating in fear as the armed and ruthless youths have been brandishing pistols to scare them into submission.

THE SHOOTING

“It has been a nasty scene, things not have been good here and nobody has been coming out to assist us,” another trader who spoke in confidence out of fear for her safety said. 

The traders said that they wanted to find out who the armed goons were. 

“If we are here illegally then it would have been good if they told us to go away without the unnecessary exchanges. We also want to be told who are the goons since they have been threatening us with guns,” said the source. 

Mr Ragira had been opposing the goons’ activities on social media until Thursday night when he stormed the area in solidarity with the traders.

Sources told the Nation that it is during the ugly confrontation that an unknown attacker shot Mr Ragira, killing him on the spot.

It is unclear why the said parcel of land that is located a short distance from State House has been of interest.

Klabu 36 is popular among UoN students as many prefer buying and having their meals from the traders' kiosks.