JKUAT Students Block Thika Superhighway Demanding Justice for Slain Denzel Omondi
Key takeaways
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- The usually busy Thika Superhighway was rendered impassable Friday afternoon as angry JKUAT students protested in the middle of the road.
- The students who claimed to have “Suspended peace” occupied one of the busiest motorways in Kenya demanding justice for their slain colleague Denzel Omondi.
- Denzel Omondi was a third-year student at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).
- The campus student mysteriously went missing shortly after the #OccupyParliament protests on Tuesday, June 25.
- After futile efforts to trace him, Denzel was later found dead in a quarry near the institution.
Also read: 2 Days on the Cross: Joshua Okayo Narrates His Abduction Experience
Denzel Omondi Occupies Parliament
On Tuesday afternoon June 25th, Denzel marched alongside other Kenyans in an unprecedented occupation of Kenya’s parliament buildings.
The events, reminiscent of the 2021 US Congress invasion, shocked the world as a massive crowd of Kenyans breached the parliament buildings despite police gunfire.
Police guarding parliament were eventually overpowered by the protestors who stormed the legislative chambers in anger.
Denzel, armed with his smartphone, recorded a video of the incident. The video went viral as Kenya rushed to grasp the unfolding events at the parliament buildings.
Denzel Omondi Goes Missing
Hours after the dramatic occupation of parliament, Denzel Omondi disappeared. Aware of the increasing abduction incidents, his family immediately began his search.
The family’s spirited search efforts were reinforced by members of the public who posted about his disappearance on social media.
“The investigative agencies must clarify what led to this, as I had spoken to him just three hours before he disappeared and he was in good spirits,” says Denzel’s father.
Denzel was later found dead with his body floating in an abandoned quarry in Juja, Kiambu County.
The news sent shockwaves through a nation already on edge, with uncertainty over the details surrounding his death.
Denzel’s shocking autopsy reportÂ
Denzel’s autopsy revealed that he died of drowning, a finding that has been heavily disputed by his family and human rights activists.
The apparent cover-up of the events leading to his death spiked anger across the country, prompting JKUAT students to stage protests.
Denzel’s fatal predicament lays a dark spot over the once largely peaceful protests, which have forced President William Ruto to dissolve his cabinet.
Also read: Popular TikToker Muchiri Mike Arrested at Kasarani
The protests spearheaded by Kenya’s young population now popular as Gen Z have been marred with horrifying abductions of perceived figureheads of the demonstrations.
KSL student leader Joshua Okayo and popular influencers Crazy Nairobian and Osama Otero are some of the notable individuals who were abducted.
As JKUAT students call for justice for their slain comrade, tens of Kenyans are still missing in the aftermath of the protests.
Meanwhile, additional bodies said to be victims of violent protests, have been found after being discarded in a quarry within Nairobi’s Mukuru slums.
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