Company security guard hacked to death by gangsters

Nzoia Sugar Company guest house

Nzoia Sugar Company guest house where a security guard was killed by a gang on Wednesday night. 

Photo credit: Brian Ojamaa | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • Slain security was on night duty with three of his colleagues when the gangsters struck.
  • Another security guard sustained serious injuries during the incident.

A night security guard at Nzoia Sugar Company was on Wednesday night attacked and killed by a gang at the factory's guest house.

The 32-year-old who hailed from Namuninge village was on night duty with three of his colleagues when the gangsters struck at about 11:30pm.

Another security guard sustained serious injuries during the incident, although assailants fled without stealing anything. 

Mebo Wanjala Simiyu, the wife of the slain guard, said her husband was an employee of Solvit Company which is contracted by Nzoia Sugar Company to provide security services.

The grief-stricken widow said she received news of her husband's death in the morning from a neighbour as she prepared her children to go to school.

Mebo Wanjala Simiyu

Mebo Wanjala Simiyu, the widow of a security guard at Nzoia Sugar Company who was killed by a gang at the company's guest house on Wednesday night.
 

Photo credit: Brian Ojamaa | Nation Media Group

"My husband has left me with very young children. I don't know how I will raise them alone," said the grieving widow.

Ms Wanjala asked the authorities to help the family get justice for her husband's murder.

The incident was confirmed by Bungoma County Commissioner Samuel Kimiti who said the gang of unknown number of people who killed the guard were armed with crude weapons.

"They assaulted one night guard before gaining entry into the premise where they did not steal anything," Kimiti said. 

He said preliminary investigations indicate the gangsters hacked their victims using sharp objects. 

The County Commissioner said police officers on patrol rushed to the scene before moving the body of the deceased to the mortuary. The injured guard was rushed to hospital. 

He further issued a stern warning to individuals who have been engaging in criminal activities in the area that the law will soon catch up with them.

"We have deployed enough security officers who are on high alert in all parts of the county,” he said.

Nzoia Sugar Company guest house

Police officers inspect the scene of crime inside Nzoia Sugar Company guest house where a security guard was hacked to death by a gang on Wednesday night.

Photo credit: Brian Ojamaa | Nation Media Group

The incident comes barely a week after another guard was killed at a restaurant in Lugulu market. In a separate incident on the same night, another guard, who was manning Lugulu Day Secondary School, was attacked and left with deep cuts on the head. 

At the same time, the mother of the slain security guard, Ms Alice Simiyu, is seeking help from the security company to cater for funeral expenses.

"We informed of the incident by a neighbour, and not Solvit Company where my son worked. His death is a big blow to our family. We are asking the company to assist us meet his burial expenses since he died while on duty," she said. 

John Simiyu the father of the deceased, who is also a guard in another security firm, said his son's body had several deep cuts.

"I'm very saddened by this incident since my son had a wife and three children and was his family's sole breadwinner," he said. 

The family has also taken issue with the security company where the deceased worked for failure to inform them about the incident.

"We are shocked that his employer didn't bother to inform us about his death, yet we live very near to his work place," said Wafula Vincent, a relative of the deceased.

Our efforts to get a comment from Solvit Company bore no fruit. 

Meanwhile, area residents have decried the escalating cases of insecurity that have left more than 10 security guards dead since the beginning of the year across the county's nine constituencies.