Detectives in Athi-river Machakos County are holding a suspect identified as David Kioko who works as a matatu tout for allegedly killing his colleague over a Ksh30 argument.
According to police, the 27-year-old suspect is reported to have had a heated argument with a colleague before hitting him on the head using a metal rod on Thursday, October 19, 2023.
An eyewitness explained that the suspect claimed Ksh30 from the deceased who was only willing to part with Ksh20 when a scuffle ensued and the two began fighting.
"The two ordinarily work very closely but they were engaged in an argument this morning. We here at Devki, Kinanie Matatu stage know them as friends. We were shocked when the matter escalated and the two began fighting. The suspect hit the deceased on the head using a metal rod before he collapsed. It is sad given that the two always share jokes and spend most of the time together,"John Musembi, an eyewitness told K24 Digital.
In a report booked at the Athi-river police station, the deceased is reported to have succumbed to the injuries while receiving treatment at the Kitengela Sub County hospital where he had been rushed.
Athi-river subcounty police commander Jos Mudavadi condemned the incident urging members of the public to restrain themselves from unlawful acts like fighting but instead seek legal redress.
"It is so unfortunate that a young man has lost his life in the line of duty due to a very small amount of money. There is no justification for taking a person's life. It is criminal for anybody to take the law into their own hands. Anger is not considered as a justification in the rule of law," Mudavadi said.
The police commander further lauded the members of the public for detaining the suspect while awaiting for police response.
"I urge members of the public to always exercise patience when such an incident occurs and avert mob justice action. The eyewitnesses at the Devki matatu stage restrained themselves from taking action until we arrived at the scene, that is the way to go," he added.
The body of the 30-year-old which has positively been identified by friends and relatives was moved to the Kitengela Subcounty morgue awaiting postmortem.
