Nairobi: The family of Vincent Ayoma, 28, is telling the story of what happened when he was shot at an Orange Democratic Movement rally in Kitengela, Kajiado County, on February 15.
Vincent was on his way home from work when he was shot in the eye, and the bullet went out through his back.
His wife said they first found out about it from a friend, Peter Oluoch, who called around 6 p.m. to say Vincent had been shot.
They couldn’t find Vincent that night. The next morning, they found his body at the City Mortuary.
Vincent’s brother, Moses Ayoma, said he was shocked when his nephew called him from Kisumu County. I had been sleeping, so I didn’t know what happened.
My nephew called to say Vincent had been shot, Moses said. The rally was disrupted by gunfire, which caused panic before things calmed down around 9 p.m.
After finding Vincent’s body, Moses went to the garage where his brother worked and then to the mortuary, where he confirmed the injury. The family is grieving and wants justice for Vincent.
Political leaders have reacted strongly. Edwin Sifuna, the former ODM secretary general, wants someone to be held responsible and blamed the police and the government.
This is another senseless killing. We send our condolences to Vincent’s family and demand justice, Sifuna said.
Reports say that others were injured at the rally, which had thousands of people supporting the ODM leadership.
Authorities haven’t released a report on what happened, but the family and party leaders want a full investigation to make sure someone is held responsible.
This shows how worried people are about public safety at political events in Kenya. It has brought back discussions about what security forces should do at large rallies and how to protect people.
As the investigations continue, the community and Vincent’s family are waiting for answers.
The loss of a young man has caused widespread condolences on social media and in political circles, showing the human cost of unrest during political events.
The ODM party has promised to support the family and push for justice, saying that political activities should never put lives in danger.