Please help us bury our son, family of Maseno student killed in protest appeals

The family of William Mayenga, the third-year Maseno University student who was shot dead by police during the March 20 anti-government protests is appealing to the public to help them give him a decent burial.

The family says it does not have sufficient funds to clear the bills accumulated at the mortuary since the unfortunate death of the literature student at the university situated 26 kilometres from Kisumu city.

Speaking to the Nation, his heartbroken mother, Ms Everline Miruka, said the family is making personal appeals to friends to raise at least Sh500,000 for the burial, as well as legal fees to pursue justice for their son.

Part of a long message shared with friends via WhatsApp seen by the Nation reveals how dire the situation is for the family.

“The financial burden that has been thrust upon us in the wake of William’s death is overwhelming. We have no money to cover the funeral expenses, let alone the legal expenses required to ensure proper justice is rendered to our murdered son,” the message read.

Ms Miruka confirmed to the Nation that the family has not received any response from the police, despite the matter being reported at Maseno Police Station moments after the fatal shooting happened.

“We are lost. We do not know who will cover these expenses or who will follow up for us as parents. We appeal to the public’s generosity to help us cover William’s funeral and legal expenses,” she said.

Other than the financial support, the family said it needs emotional and psychological support to process what happened to their loved one and how to cope with life without him.

The family wonders why the police are yet to make any arrest, even after several witnesses said they saw the police officer who allegedly shot and killed Mayenga.

“The students who saw the incident told us that it was a female police officer who shot at William but no one has been arrested to date. How could the students see her and her colleagues who were standing by her side fail to know her?” she asked.

Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong’o demanded the arrest and prosecution of the ‘trigger happy’ police officer who shot and killed the student.

The governor termed it unfortunate that instead of using tear gas or rubber bullets, the police chose to fire live ammunition at the students.

“The police should exhibit professionalism and restraint while quelling riots instead of using brutality on unarmed protestors. As we send condolence messages to the family of the slain student and the Maseno University fraternity, we demand that the police officer who fired the killer bullet be arrested and prosecuted as soon as possible,” said Prof Nyong’o.

A day after the shooting, the independent Policing and Oversight Authority (Ipoa) also announced that it had launched investigations into the death of Mayenga.

The student would have turned 22 in May, but was shot in the neck a few metres from the university’s main gate during the protests called by the Azimio coalition. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Coptic Hospital in Kisumu.

In their defence, the police said protestors, including the students, invaded Maseno Police Line during demonstrations, which prompted them to use live bullets to disperse the crowd. Running battles ensued and it is during that melee that Mayenga met his death.

Students, however, denied the narrative by the police and said they were not violent and were protesting around their university, only to be shot at by the police. 

However, some businesses were vandalised. Mr Yatin Patel, the owner of Sairam Supermarket said he lost about Sh2 million during the protests after university students vandalised his outlet.

For now, Mayenga’s body lies at the St Catherine Hospital mortuary in Keroka, Nyamira County.