Wycliffe Nyamasege
Kenyans on Twitter popularly known as KOT are up in arms against the killing of a homeless man in Mathare by police on Monday night.
A disturbing video of the man who was reportedly shot dead by police in Bondeni area was shared on Twitter by Human Rights activist Boniface Mwangi.
According to Mwangi, the man identified by locals as Vaite was shot after he was found outside during curfew hours.
Hundreds of residents stormed the streets to protest Vaite’s killing.
“Kenya Police have shot dead a homeless man in Mathare, Bondeni area. He works as a loader in Marikiti but sleeps in the streets, residents call him Vaite. About 300 people have defied the curfew and are protesting the extrajudicial killing, ” wrote Mwangi.
Read: Uproar As Nakuru Cops Caught On Camera Assaulting Resident [Video]
Kahawa Tungu couldn’t share the disturbing video. But if you want to watch it you can do so on Twitter by following this link.
By Tuesday morning the video had gone viral with the hashtag #JusticeforVaite trending at number one on Twitter.
Kenyans on social media have condemned the police accusing them of normalizing killing of the poor and innocent.
They are now calling for the arrest of the cops behind Vaite’s killing.
“Is it a crime to live in Kenya now?? eviction in the middle of the night,police brutality,killing innocent people at night??God is watching..may the perpetrators of this crimes never find peace in their lives…” said Oindo Edu.
Read Also: Two Cops In Nakuru Warm Hearts After Donating A Wheelchair To A Street Boy
“Are police bullets meant for unarmed,innocent, homeless citizens?Tf is wrong with the police? If they aren’t killing people they’re harassing them(pressing their genitals,Breaking their faces and noses),they’re taking bribes,they arresting them for no reason!Crying face, ” said Chetellah.
Buluma Cleo said, “How do you kill a homeless man, a man who literally had nothing……Doesn’t their conscience haunt them? How foes it feel doing something you can’t talk about with your wife at the dinner table? But since it’s a poor man’s problem they’ll only talk about BBI .”
Read Also: Alarm As Mathare Accounts For 33 Of 123 New Cases Of Covid-19 Confirmed In Kenya
The incident comes at a time human rights activists across the world continue to condemn the recent killing of a Black American man killed by a white Minneapolis police officer.
In a viral footage, George Floyd, 46, died after the white cop knelt on his neck as he lay on the ground helpless. Other officers watched from a distance.
Here are some of the reactions online on Vaite’s killing.
I am sure the government is out somewhere reading this tweets and saying, "Nyi ongeeni na hakuna kitu mtafanya. Ni siku mbili tu msahau". Americans have come out in the streets, its about time we consider the same, as a more solid means of airing grievances #JusticeForVaite
— All in the Mind. (@Eyano_Mkenya) June 2, 2020
So police kill an innocent homeless man who had no where to go. At this point, we rather have corona kill us. The police have failed the people.#JusticeForVaite
Photo Courtesy. pic.twitter.com/yCq4CrxPGz— Mukuru News (@MukuruSPA) June 2, 2020
What saddens more is that the President knows of police brutality & violent, unlawful killings but has never done shit about it. He's never made it clear that rogue cops must be dealt with like criminals.
Is Uhuru a puppet president acting for a dreaded Mafia? #JusticeForVaite— Kenyans On Twittter DCI (@KOTDCI1) June 2, 2020
Living in Mathare or slums doesn't justify police brutality. We work hard not to leave the ghetto but to make the ghetto a better place to live! Police brutality sucks.#EndPoliceBrutalityKE #stoppolicebrutality #JusticeForVaite #JusticeForSamuelMaina pic.twitter.com/5P3276a1jc
— Machakos Finest 🇰🇪 (@geraldngaopk) June 2, 2020
It is very sad…deeply hurts. Unfortunately the cops in question may just be transferred to another station as the system is used to. They must be sacked, investigated and sentenced! #JusticeForVaite
— Ukwaju kwa siniaa☯️ (@joshgambler) June 2, 2020
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