When everything went wrong, Joseph Jojo Mwangi was merely carrying out his duties as Kasipul Mp Charles Ong’ondo’s bodyguard. He saw the shooter after hearing the motorcycle roar.
After aiming, the man wearing the helmet fired three bullets. Ong’ondo suddenly collapsed to the ground, blood splattering on the Nairobi sidewalk around him. Jojo recalls, “Time slowed down,” as his hands shake. “I could not even fight back.”
Jojo has replayed the entire event in his mind innumerable times, even though it only took a few seconds. Having spent 12 years in security, he was aware of the dangers. He had heard accounts of destroyed cars and anonymous messages from Ong’ondo, who had threatened to kill him.
However, he dismissed this and refused to employ armored vehicles or take any other safety measures. ” “Jojo, you are my shield,” he had remarked, laughing. Jojo is also aware that shields are brittle. For weeks, the murderer had been pursuing Ong’ondo, preying on his erroneous sense of security.
Muchiri Nyaga, a police spokesperson, stated, “We were careless; it was broad daylight,” She pointed out that it was regrettable, taking into account everything from strategy to the fallout.
Jojo is still plagued by guilt. At the hospital, he recalls Ong’ondo’s wife staring straight through him, seemingly holding him responsible for the incident. What if he had shoved Ong’ondo in the back? He can’t stop thinking about those moments at night.
What if his weapon had been drawn sooner? He has finally been able to access therapy, something he had been denied for years since mental health issues were stigmatized in his profession. “Who would want to hire a guard who ‘failed’?” he thinks. “Did you let the bad guy win?” his son inquired.
Kenya has seen four instances of political attacks in the past year and a half, indicating an increase in these attacks. Bodyguards must combine being conspicuous with staying protected, which makes their job challenging. Additionally, they frequently operate with little funding. “We are human, not magicians,” says Linda Wanjiku, an analyst.
However, they are held mostly responsible when things suddenly go awry. Every week, Jojo pays a visit to Ong’ondo’s tomb and leaves roses. “I tell him I am sorry.” He exhorts leaders who don’t allow guards to adequately protect them to quit behaving as though they are untouchable.
“We can’t keep burying people because of this,” he states. Jojo’s suffering is a reflection of a larger problem, highlighting the hidden consequences for people caught in perilous situations.
By Kenyans