• Moyo was shot dead by police officers enforcing curfew and lockdown restrictions on March 30 last year while he stood on his family balcony in Huruma.
• Officer Duncan Ndiema pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder.
Image: COURTESY
It is another Ramadhan under lockdown — a cruel reminder for his family of the circumstances under which Yasin Moyo died.
Moyo, then aged 13, was shot dead by police officers enforcing curfew and lockdown restrictions on March 30 last year while he stood on his family balcony in Huruma.
The holy month of Ramadhan was just starting. One year on, the family is yet to move on.
Their healing is still a mirage, his father Hussein Molte said.
Speaking to the Star on Tuesday, Molte said his family was grief-stricken afresh on Monday night.
“They [family members] were all crying and a sombre mood engulfed us once again. We have never moved on,” he said.
“It is the second year and it still freshly painful,” he added.
The house on whose balcony Moyo was killed belongs to the family and so they cannot move to change the environment and find healing.
“His clothes and personal effects are there and the balcony itself remains a tormenting reminder. ”
“Healing for me and my family remains a long shot,” he said.
Whenever they see officers enforcing the curfew rules in the evening, Moyo’s voice shouting “Mama I have been shot” rings at the back of their heads.
“I can’t change houses and whenever I see that balcony, I just see my son lying down in a pool of blood crying for help and losing his life. It is very painful,” Molte said.
Yasin was the fourth born of seven children.
Officer Duncan Ndiema, pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder.
Molte said he has lined up witnesses to testify against the officer when the case comes up.
He said that Amnesty International had helped him get lawyers to fight for the rights of his son.
Molte remains bitter against the excessive force used by police in enforcing curfews and any other assignment as part of maintaining law and order.
He thinks the restrictions have been given a bad name by overzealous officers who use more than enough force in their work.
“Officers should do their work knowing that they are part of the community they protect. They should not view us as tribes or enemies,” he said.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris