•The two argued after conductor failed to drop passenger where he wanted
•Buruburu OCPD Rono Bunei confirms incident, says investigations under way
Image: FILE
He was a hard working carpenter whose resilient mien and determination promised a bright future for him, his son and wife.
But this was not to be for Justus Kilonzo, 31, after his life was brutally cut short last Sunday. An Embassava bus conductor pushed him off the speeding vehicle after they had a short argument.
The Star has learnt that Kilonzo was heading home to Pipeline estate when an angry exchange with the tout broke out after he was not dropped at the stage where he asked the tout to.
At the height of the argument, the conductor pushed him, making him to fall head first on the tarmac. The bus crushed him as it sped at Embassava area, Donholm.
The bus stopped and the tout and the driver tried to get Kilonzo back into the bus to rush him to Mama Lucy Hospital but the passengers protested.
“The passengers refused to allow them rush Justus to Mama Lucy because they would conceal the case,” Raphael Kilonzo, Justus’ brother told the Star.
“They [passengers] insisted that the conductor and driver calls Red Cross ambulance to rush Justus to Kenyatta [National Hospital] because he was badly injured,” he added.
Kilonzo had sustained a skull fracture besides other injuries.
He was declared dead on arrival at KNH.
Raphael said his family is still shocked by the death of Justus because he has left behind a young wife and a nine-year-old son.
“I don’t even know how life will be for us and who will now take care of his family. He was a very hard working carpenter at Gikomba market,” he said.
Buruburu OCPD Rono Bunei confirmed the incident, telling the Star investigations are ongoing.
Previous cases
But Kilonzo’s case is not the first. There have been similar incidents where touts push passengers to their death over small disagreements.
Last year November, the High Court sentenced Roman Oduor, a matatu tout to 30 years in jail for pushing Abdalla Yusuf from a moving bus for demanding his Sh10 balance. Yusuf died on the spot.
He was initially sentenced to life imprisonment for murder in 1996 but appealed and got the term reduced to 30 years.
Court papers showed that Yusuf had agreed with Oduor to pay Sh10 from Nairobi Show Ground stage to Makina in Kibera. But upon being given a Sh100 note, the tout returned Sh80 instead of Sh90 to Yusuf. When he demanded the right amount, Oduor roughly pushed him out to his death.