Fred Mukinda
14 July 2008
Nairobi — After police shot dead his son Sunday, the man exclaimed: "Thanks! The Government has finally done its job."
Moses Gitau Karugu, 25, who police described as a dangerous gangster, was killed alongside an accomplice Naftali Ng'ang'a Muthami, 19, at Kagondo in Dagoretti.
As police kept vigil at the scene and residents stared at the bodies, they were surprised after Mr George Karugu Gitau hurried to the scene, identified his son's body and thanked the officers.
And immediately the scene had been cleared and the bodies loaded in a police vehicle, Mr Gitau announced aloud that he would go to the nearest bar and drink in celebration.
Spotted drinking
Residents told the Nation he was later spotted drinking traditional brew at a local den.
As he expressed gladness at his son's death, Mr Gitau at the same time showed anger, saying his son had not lived a straight life.
"Huyo ni mhalifu! Huyo ni mhalifu! Nilimkanya mara nyingi awache hii lakini hakunisikisliza. (He was a criminal! He was a criminal! I had warned him against it many times but he never listened to me)," he said.
As he stared at the bodies, all he remembered about his son were the bad things he did during his quarter century life.
According to Mr Gitau, his son had threatened to kill him two months ago. During the incident in May, the father had stormed a local pub at around 7am looking for his son on accusation that he had stolen Sh800 from his house.
He found his son drinking and paying bills for his friends.
But when he confronted him, the son held his father by the collar, pushed him away and threatened him with death.
"Alikuwa amechukua zile pesa kutoka koti langu usiku. (He had picked the money from my coat the previous night)," Mr Gitau said.
Unable to discipline his son, Mr Gitau walked away.
At around 10am Sunday, somebody called him on the mobile phone to inform him of the arrest.
He rushed to the scene, about 200 metres away and found his son struggling to free himself from a police dog.
"The dog had beaten his leg and he was struggling to get away. When the police officers saw me, they ordered me to go back. After I had turned away, I heard the gunshots," said Mr Gitau.
Gigiri division police commander David Kerina told journalists at the scene that the two victims had been in the company of a third one who escaped.
Carrying pistol
"The one who escaped was carrying a pistol and he fired at our officers, prompting them to shoot back," he said.
A toy pistol was found on the victims. A bunch of miraa was also found on one of the gangsters.
Mr Kerina also said the officers had trailed the gang after being informed they were planning to commit a robbery.
Mr Gitau said his son had also blocked earlier attempts to have him live a productive life.
He told the Nation that his son had refused to look for employment and instead joined gangs and passed most of his time "doing nothing", at matatu termini.
"I had also enrolled him at a driving school. I paid for the training but he shunned employment," Mr Gitau said.
The father also remembered how his son had refused to sit for the national examinations when he reached Standard Eight. Instead, said his father, he vanished and reappeared after his classmates had finished the test.
Area residents also claimed crime had increased in the village, particularly muggings, stealing and burglary. Councillor James Ndung'u said the trend could be reversed if more parents would report to the authorities whenever they detected wayward behaviour in their children.
"It's only through your help that we can put this to a stop because you know the criminals and live with them," he told the residents.
Relatives of the second gangster did not turn up at the scene. He was identified using a national identity card found in his pockets. The ID card showed he was six years younger than his accomplice.
Some of the residents suspected he was from Uthiru, not far away from the area where he met his death.
Addressing the crowd, Mr Kerina appealed for information that could help in ridding the area of criminals.
He promised to treat any such information as confidential.
"Once we receive information, we shall go and arrest the criminal. I also wish to assure you that we shall never disclose our informers," said Mr Kerina.
He also promised that police patrols would be increased to ensure residents felt safe.
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