A painful death was the last thing on Francis Mburia's mind as he settled down for the night in his house in Kosovo, Mathare, last Saturday.
At the heart of the tumult and eventual death was a phone said to be worth Sh25,000 that he was accused of stealing.
The 19-year-old was a father of two.
At around 8pm, people said to be crime busters kicked open Mburia's door and dragged him, literally, to his death.
“The benefit of theft is pain and eventually death,” one of the cops was heard telling Mburia, a witness told the Star.
The officers, numbering about five, drove to Mburia’s house in a Probox.
They allegedly pulled him behind his house and rained blows and kicks on him.
Fiona Wangeci, who says she witnessed the incident, said the officers used pliers to pull Mburia's private parts while one hit his head with a hammer.
All the while, he was crying helplessly for help.
At some point, the officers shot in the air to disperse the gathering crowd.
Mburia was then taken to Pangani police station.
Jennifer, a grassroots activist from Mathare Social Justice Centre who has been following the case, said the officer at the station demanded between Sh50,000 t0 Sh100,000 to release him.
On Tuesday, Mburia was charged with robbery with violence and slapped with Sh50,000 bail.
The family could not raise the amount.
"His mother Margaret Wanjiru told the officers that she could only get Sh7,000. So Mburia was taken to Industrial Area remand prison," Jennifer said.
But the prison refused to admit him because he was too sick. The authorities wanted the police to take him to hospital first.
On Wednesday, he was taken to Mbagathi Hospital but the doctors referred him to Kenyatta National Hospital because his situation was severe, Jennifer said.
All the while, his condition grew worse and he was writhing in pain.
Mburia died on Thursday night.
His family is now demanding justice and has contacted human right lobbies, including IML, to help bring the responsible officers to account.
