Boda Boda operator murdered in Sipili.

By Wajoe

  A motor cycle ‘‘boba boda’’ operator, was yesterday strangled to death in Sipili and his motor cycle stolen by people posing as clients. Eliud Mwangi Njuguna, the ill fated boda boda operator and owner of a barber shop at Sipili town, hails from Kahuruko village.  It is reported that Eliud had woke up early on Monday 23^rd April to catch a bus to Nyahururu town for his personal duties.  

  The deceased, returned later in the evening at around 5.00 p.m aboard a Nyahururu-Sipili mini-bus known by locals as Dallas. The hard working young man is said to have gone straight to his barber shop where he had parked his motorcycle in the morning. A few minutes later he was seen in a nearby butchery ordering some meat to take home after the day’s work.

Some of his fellow operators said that he was seen with two men who were bargaining for transport fares. The two men wanted to be taken to a nearby Kiriko village. Unknown to Eliud was the ill motives of the ‘‘customers’’! He accepted the offer and carried the two ‘‘customers’’ perhaps in harry to enable him get back home early and have dinner with his family. It is alleged that upon reaching a place known as ‘‘mlima fisi’’ (which can be loosely be translated as Hyena’s hill) the two men strangled him to death in cold blood and dumped the body by the roadside.  

 “I heard somebody screaming, but since this village has many drunkards who scream at night after drinking chang’aa in the neighborhood, I didn’t take interest in the matter”, said Mr. Mwangi whose home is near the murder scene.

  The people who got there early in the morning discovered the body of the young man, dumped in the farm. There were signs of struggle because the side mirror of his motorbike and his cap were found scattered at the scene. His personal documents were found almost half a kilometer away in an open field but his motorcycle was has not been recovered. 

 The sad news spread like bush fire across Sipili and Kinamba towns and the neighboring villages. People trooped to the scene in large numbers to witness the gruesome act which has cut short the bright life Eliud Mwangi. In solidarity his boda boda colleagues searched for any trace of the motorcycle in the nearby shrubs but there wasn’t any sign.

The police later arrived at the scene of crime in a G.K range rover. Kinamba police station O.C.S addressed the boda boda operators and advised them on reviving their organization for security reasons. They were advised to carry passengers from one designated area to avoid being cornered by strangers masquerading to be passengers.

 The boda boda chairman Mr. Chege was at pains explaining to the O.C.S why their organization is not active. The body of the deceased was taken to Nyahururu District hospital mortuary. 

An angry entourage of more than fifty motorbikes each carrying three people snaked through Kiriko and Karungubii villages hooting and moving slowly. In a show of solidarity with their fallen colleague they parked the bikes next to the bus terminus at Sipili town and had a quick and impromptu fundraiser to support help the family of the deceased.