This archive report was first published on 5 May 2020.
On Sunday night, a 39-year-old welder, Vitalis Otieno, met his untimely death at the hands of police in Mathare, Nairobi, minutes into the curfew time.
According to eyewitnesses, Otieno was returning home from work when he was caught up by police patrolling the densely populated area. He was beaten and left for dead near his home in Mathare's Mabatini area at around 7:30 pm.
Angry residents, who had gathered at the scene, ignored social distancing directives as they aired their frustrations over police brutality. The commotion alerted Otieno's family, who had been searching for him after he failed to return home the previous night.
His wife, Esther Achieng, fainted after seeing the body and was rushed to a nearby clinic for treatment. Otieno was the sole breadwinner for his family of five.
Residents marched to Muthaiga Police Station with Otieno's body to protest his killing but were dispersed with teargas. The incident comes weeks after the death of a 13-year-old boy, Yassin Moyo, who was shot dead at the balcony of his house.
Human rights activists have expressed concern over the excessive force used by the police, citing a recent incident where a barber was brutally beaten and left bedridden.
