Prof Job Bwayo killed

Kenya: Top Aids Researcher Killed Email This Page Print This Page The East African Standard (Nairobi) February 5, 2007 Posted to the web February 5, 2007 Cyrus Ombati Nairobi A Kenyan-born internationally acclaimed Aids researcher is the latest victim of the senseless gangland-type crime that has gripped the country. Prof Job Bwayo, a University of Nairobi medicine lecturer, was up to Sunday evening working on a possible vaccine against the HIV virus that causes Aids. Unfortunately, he was among three people killed by cold-blooded criminals in a night of orgy in which Sheng-speaking, AK-47 wielding teenage gangsters held an entire road hostage, also murdering a physically disabled man and a defenceless woman. They shot and killed Prof Bwayo, the woman whose only crime was trying to unbuckle her seatbelt and an elderly businessman whose fate was sealed by his disability. A point-blank range shot on the head instantly took the life of Mr Lawrence Regeru as he tried to reach for his crutches in compliance with an order that he steps out of his car. Felista Njeru Kuria was killed in similar fashion as she reached for the buckle of her seatbelt. Regeru's plea for mercy went unheeded, witnesses said. Wave of crime has hit the country The attacks occurred at about 6pm on Sunday, along the Isinya-Nairobi road, some 30km northwest of the capital city. The audacity and ruthlessness of the gangsters was replicated in the three victims they left alive. As if to leave no doubt of their sadistic and demented disposition, they shot them all in the mouth. Prof Bwayo's widow, Elizabeth, a relative and an American national, Carol Terry, who is a family friend of the Bwayos, were Monday night fighting for their lives following the assault. Elizabeth is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) while Ms Terry is admitted to Nairobi Hospital. This was the latest in a wave of crime that has hit the country since the beginning of the year sparing no one, not even the police. On January 4, three police officers including a woman, were shot dead when robbers ambushed a security van and stole Sh22.4 million. In Mombasa, armed robbers stole Sh35 million from Habib Bank Ltd in mid-January. On January 27, two American citizens were shot dead during a carjacking incident on the Nairobi-Naivasha highway about 15km from the city. The gangsters had carjacked two other motorists before they attacked the Americans. East and Central Africa Director of Care International Mr Geoffrey Chege is also among victims of the recent wave of murders in the country. Gangsters said to be aged between 18 and 20 years Last week, Science and Technology Minister Dr Noah Wekesa demanded immediate and decisive action to deal with runaway crime. The weekend attack on Prof Bwayo and other motorists started with an attempt to commandeer Regeru's car and took crime to a new level and came desperately close to earning Kenya international notoriety and the dubious distinction of being a haven for gun-toting, bloodthirsty criminals. Accounts have it that the gangsters, said to be aged between 18 and 20 years and armed with Kalashnikov assault riffles, were hunting for an escape car. According to Regeru's son Pius, who witnessed the attack and was lucky to survive, the thugs flashed down their car as they drove from a meat place near the scene. "I saw a car approach our vehicle with full lights. The driver waved instructing me to stop but as I tried to drive past, we almost collided. "This forced me to stop before two young men armed with AK-47 rifles jumped out and ordered us out. They were speaking Sheng (a corrupted version of English and Kiswahili)," he said. Pius said he and his father had been having a late lunch at a joint called Checkpoint and were returning home. Relevant Links East Africa Kenya Crime and Corruption Legal and Judicial Affairs HIV-Aids and STDs He said the gunmen were in a hurry and he urged his father to co-operate with them to the end. The thugs had forced Pius out of the driver's seat before bundling him in the boot. One of the thugs pulled Regeru from his seat to the ground as he raised his hands pleading for mercy before they shot him at close range. They then reversed the car to escape but it got stuck in a trench. 'They were just shooting people like chicken'