Xtina, I do not want to trivialize people being killed in the slums, but most of us know life in the slums is chaotic and dangerous. We all know the difficulties of life below the poverty line and this is why everyone tries to “get ahead” in life and perhaps make a better life for themselves. This is a fundamental cornerstone of human society development. When someone up the class strata develops, it fizzles down, and the reverse is also true. Humans should work as a group to the collective benefit of each other. There is a charity group in SK trying to make positive changes. Many rich and poor alike do not like it when someone who is “getting ahead” is killed for nonsensical reasons. I sense a lot of naivety in your arguments, reality will teach you otherwise. Ponder the following:-

1. You say “they kill the rich when they want attention”. NOT ONLY THE POOR KILL FOR MONEY OR GREED. The rich also do it, and the number of good poor people outweighs the bad by far. Murder is murder. These guys do not take a strong philosophical position when killing a rich man and then change when raping and killing a fellow slum dweller, you are kind of very lost there.
2. “They are just young, hopeless dudes looking for a meal. They do not do it on purpose” and “Believe it or not, by looking at extent of injuries on a corpse/extent of viciousness, you can tell whether murder was intentional or the attack was just meant to impair the victim. For most cases, it is just meant to impair”
People have debated acts of killings for years and have found no justification for a victim’s death in such circumstances except to classify it murder. Unless they are all insane (not hopeless) these are murderers, I think you need to study a bit of law or speak to a lawyer to understand, if I come to your house on a robbery mission carrying a knife to scare you and in the process of a struggle you die “accidentally”, What will the judge call it? What will you call it?. You have not discovered anything new here.
3. “And there is nothing like ‘senseless death’. Death is not supposed to make sense; it is just supposed to happen.” Well People have learnt how to control “senseless death” over the years through punishment of the perpetrators or their removal from the gene pool by hanging (Except Kibaki and Moi who are scared of signing orders). This controls murderous deaths “just happening” as you say.

Xtina, there is no justification for murder; there is no reason why someone should be killed by another beyond what society has agreed are justifiable circumstances to kill.

Good people

I don't imagine @Xtina is trying to downplay the death of the guy. She is trying to give the bigger picture and show us where these guys are coming from.

Tell you what; If your child cries of hunger pangs to the point of giving then alcohol to get them to sleep, I could assure you that Killing someone to keep yourself from jail if they were to identify you as the robber is not that big a deal.

Thank God everyday that you have food for yourself and family, Be very grateful.Crossing the line is very very easy.

How to avoid being mugged:

1-Get home early.Obvious but not done by most of us.
2-Check your car every morning.When you are about to leave a joint,check your car again.This is where you benefit if you dont drink.If you do,have one sober guy to do so.Check mostly the tyres n fuel.
3-Get fit.Join a gym,train.Know how to run.Know how to swim.Know how to jump-It may save your life.
4-Be alert.By all means,be on your guard.
5-If attacked,chances are 99% the attacker is not alone.While running(go to the gym!) visualise the possible escape routes.
6-By all means,do not be hit on the head.You will lose conscious and that makes things hard for you.
7-Buy a gun(prices start from 120k). It is a worth it investment but you need to be alert to use it effectively.

Your security is in God's care and your hands-forget the cops.

Kind regards.

@kazikwisha…..of course you were affected by his death, just like hundreds of families of people out here who have lost their spouses and family to these gangs. His blood was not in vain but so were the others. For your protest rally, how about including other people who have also lost their loved ones through murderous gangs? And Djagame has raised a true point. It is a short term solution. As soon as it is over, everyone will go back to the normal lives. Kenyans and selective amnesia are synonymous.

@All, GET THE BIGGER PICTURE. All I am saying is, enough people are murdered every day in the city. Insecurity is EVERYWHERE, not just on our roads. What I am asking is, why is this particular case making news? From what I see at my hospital, the only time people making noise is when it happens to the middle/ upper class. You may not like what I say, but I am just being realistic.

Good luck with the demo. I hope something will be stirred somewhere

RIP Martin,

This indeed is a sad situation and a worrying trend seems to have developed overtime. Allow me to play the devil's advocate here.

Everytime i am on holidays in the country, i volunteer my time and services with a christian organisation called CRF, and my preffered location is always mathare slums.I abandon all the entrapments of the modern world and own the cause.Overtime i have come to understand the way of the slums and though it is not acceptable i can understand.

Case in point i have worked closely (2 years) with one Vitalis Ochieng - Mechanical engineer graduate and gangster, His mother is a prostitute, his dad well no-one knows and they are 8 siblings with only hime having gotten an education through blood,sweat,tears and well you know what else.In his own words the world favours the strong and courageous, 3of his sisters have children and last time he posed a question and it was, "Maze majunior hawajamanga siku mbili,ukienda jiji unacheki wadhii wamebeba manakumatt, ukiomba wanakuangalia na macho mbaya utado" I had a million and 1 things to tell him but like i said i try and see it in his own world and trust me my conclusion was not far from his.

I have tried what you call social psycho support though am not trained in this,and clarify that he has two work twice as hard as everyone else and that the world is not fare...but i hope it's not an exercise in futility thats why i keep on going back.And in my opinion this is where the root cause is, let it not be us against them but lets embrace them as our brothers and sisters and fight for a better tomorrow.

What saddens me most is the look in his eyes, like when you look at a lion in captivity it has those sad droopy eyes, for he did what was required ie go to school and get an education and the rest will be sorted..but look at where he is and as usual when we part ways and in his own words he says "Narudi works" my heart sinks but in my own zeal, i soldier own as am not captive to the past as tomorrow will be a different day and who knows....

Seriously,this particular police officer is obviously an idiot.If there are particular times we are not supposed not to be the road,then,this jinga officer should close the road all together.....It says so much about the attitude of our police force.I wish this gets the attention of Iteere.The best he can do Kenyans is to transfer this thing to Hargeisa for life or better still ,sack the heartless idiot......Bure kabisa!!...NKT!!

http://www.nation.co.ke/...42/-/vpwp1b/-/index.html

just couldnt believe the officer's comments. Such a callous and unprofessional attitude...from which deep pit latrine was this neanderthal excavated? nktest!

marto surely didn't die in vain...
they are planning to put up a police post and some street light along the makaburini area...

mediocre police force....should arrive with dogs,seal off area,arrest the goons.
use mobile phone to track the goons.
lay a trap and catch(better if they shoot) the goons.
we cant turn the whole country into a police post,thats crap.
we just need to insist that the force styles up.
now i have to think hard about endangering myself by being out late in the night.what nonsense !
the police force must invest in intelligent officers and crime preventive methods.
do we have qualified officers and if so,what they display is the biggest shame of a country like ours.
what happens in kiganjo ??
are they only trained how to run and use rungus/stones on demos ??
why cant they watch a programme like the first 48 in csi in all police canteens ?? they will learn something.
But they should also be bought enough bullet proof vests ,this "goons" who are supposed to provide security.
Unfortunately the police force has always been used by politicians to dump all their foolish kinsmen and we have to live by that.

callaspade

Sorry guys, I really feel for the late young man but - and I stand to be cOLLected - I have to go against the grain on the need for a police post at the site because:

- the site where Martin was murdered is actually between 2 police stations (Industrial Area police station and Nyayo Police post).
Mark you, the scene of Martin's attack is BARELY a kilometre from both stations.
- Even hardly 100 mtrs from both stations, the chances of you being mugged are seriously good! If in doubt try shopping at Nakumatt Mega and try get a mat at the Lusaka bus stage just outside Toyota Kenya at around 8.30pm. You will be lucky if untouched a half hr later. I should know because barely a month ago it happened to a young lad I know at 7pm. Mind you, Nyayo police post is barely 50 mtrs away, yet the Lusaka stage muggings have been happening for years. So both police post/station have proved they are NOT a solution.

- there are other equally such dangerous spots in Nbi. Logistically and financially, can we be able to put up a police post at each of them? Methinks no.

The issue unaddressed therefore is simply police inefficiency/ unwillingness to act.

Me and u know the nasty thug spots and yet we are mere raias bogged down with their own day-to-day shughulis, so u can bet those (police/criminal intelligence officers) specifically employed to know and do something abt such spots know everything about the spot and the full CVs of the riff raff operating there.
Don't ask me though what they do or dont do with that info...