Nyeri man killed for stealing bananas was mentally ill, family says
A casket containing the remains of Gerald Wambugu during his funeral at Kiawathanji village in Tetu constituency on October 22, 2022. He died after being lynched by a mob for stealing a hand of bananas on October 15 in Ruring'u, Nyeri County.
The family of a man lynched by a mob for stealing bananas in Nyeri says he was mentally ill and the killing was unjustified.
Gerald Wambugu, 36, was beaten by a crowd in Chorong’i location in Ruring’u on October 15 for stealing a hand of bananas from a private compound.
He succumbed to his injuries the same day at Nyeri Provincial General Hospital. He was buried last Saturday at his home in Kiawathanji village, Tetu.
His relatives said he did not deserve such hostility from the public as he had been diagnosed with a psychotic condition.
Wambugu’s younger brother, Moses Nderitu, said his sibling had been ailing since 2019.
A medical assessment by a psychiatrist the following year showed that he was unwell.
“Since then he had been under medication and attended regular medical clinics for his illness,” Mr Nderitu said.
Wambugu’s mental illness resulted from prolonged drug addiction, the family said.
In Kiawaithanji, Wambugu, the second-born in a family of four, lived alone under the care of his parents.
The family said he exhibited occasional abnormal behaviour.
“But whenever he was okay, he would even do menial jobs around our neighbourhood,” Mr Nderitu said.
On the day he was attacked, Wambugu was walking to Nyeri town to board a vehicle to Nanyuki, where he was to visit his brother, who had promised him a construction job.
But on reaching Chorong’i, he was caught plucking a hand of bananas that was hanging over the fence of a compound.
This prompted the owner of the property to alert neighbours and passersby to help catch him.
Family members pay their last respect to Gerald Wambugu during his funeral at Kiawanthanji village in Nyeri County on October 22, 2022.
The family claimed they received a call from one of the people in the crowd, informing them that their relative’s life was in danger.
“We pleaded with the person who was on the other end of the line to pardon him but our pleas fell on deaf ears,” said Wambugu’s sister Ann Wanja.
The caller asked for Sh5,000 in compensation for the stolen bananas, but the negotiation did not materialise as part of the crowd was already baying for Wanbugu’s blood.
The next time the family heard about him was on social media, with reports showing that he was severely injured and had been rushed to the Nyeri hospital.
Dr Andrew Wanjau, a retired psychiatrist, said that Wambugu was his patient.
He told the Nation that he had diagnosed Wambugu with psychosis in 2020.
“But after several medical clinics, I stopped seeing him altogether because he started skipping his visits,” he said.
The attack on Wambugu came even as the family alleged that he had started feeling better.
But the police dismissed claims that Wambugu was mentally ill, saying he was a habitual thief.
Nyeri Town sub-county Deputy Police Commander Anthony Okuot said this was not the first time Wambugu had been caught stealing and pardoned.
“He would steal such items and transport them to Nyeri town to sell,” Mr Okuot said.
No one has been arrested in relation to the incident, which was reported to the police by Ruring’u Chief Khadija Juma.
The police were still waiting for postmortem results, which were expected to be out on Monday, October 24.
