The body of Brian Muendo lies cold at the Kenyatta National Hospital mortuary, as family and friends balance between emotions stirred by his senseless death, and questions on whether justice will be served, all as they plan the 24-year-old’s burial.
Muendo, an egg vendor in the Nairobi city centre, took a washroom break in the wee hours of last Saturday, not knowing that he was walking into the wrong place at the wrong time.
Muendo found himself in the middle of a bar brawl pitting patrons against bouncers. Minutes later, he was seriously injured, as one of the bouncers suspected to have struck the egg vendor going on the run.
While the postmortem has given answers to what killed Muendo, several questions still surround the circumstances of his death.
A bouncer at Soma Club identified only as Momanyi is now a fugitive, as police suspect that he beat Muendo to death.
Soma Club, an establishment along Latema road in Nairobi, also houses New Somer Bar & Restaurant.
What began as a typical night of hustling for a living ended in tragedy, with those who knew him struggling to reconcile the violence of his final hours with the simplicity of his daily routine.
His family describes him as an innocent man who had nothing to do with a brawl that had broken out at the club moments before he was caught up in the chaos and suffered what would later prove to be a fatal blow to the head.
Eyewitness accounts describe a violent altercation whose fallout landed on an unsuspecting victim, a man in the wrong place at the wrong time, caught in circumstances he neither created nor anticipated.
“Brian was just selling his eggs when he called one of the young men who sit around the bar to check on the business for a few minutes. He probably wanted to use the bar’s washrooms, but he was returned by a security guard who said he had been beaten up by mistake by one of the establishment’s bouncers,” said a man identified as Njoroge.
According to Njoroge, there had been a fight in the club that spilled outward.
When Muendo was brought back to his stall, he was in visible distress, unable to stand upright and clearly struggling to articulate the extent of his injuries.
“I want water… I feel like they burst my head open!” Njoroge recalled him saying, as he groaned and writhed on the floor. After drinking water, he vomited blood, an alarming sign that prompted immediate concern among those around him. It was around 3am, early Saturday morning.
Realising the severity of the injuries, the same security guard who had escorted him back made a call to Isaac Ochieng, Muendo’s business partner, urging him to come to town without delay. Within minutes, Mr Ochieng arrived, finding his colleague in a deteriorating condition.
A witness, Ruth, who had also been at the scene, said they wasted no time in seeking help, first rushing Muendo to a nearby chemist across from the restaurant in the hope of stabilising him.
Brian Muendo.
Photo credit: Pool
“The pharmacist told us to take Muendo to Mbagathi Hospital because his situation was dire. That is when we sought an ambulance, all this while Muendo kept saying his head was bursting,” she said.
The group scrambled to secure transport, losing precious minutes as they tried to find an ambulance in the early hours of the morning. By about 5am, they had managed to get one and rushed him to Mbagathi Hospital.
However, upon arrival, they were advised to transfer him to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), the country’s largest referral facility.
As these events unfolded, Muendo’s elder sister, Janet Mutheu, was beginning her day, unaware that her routine morning would soon be interrupted by devastating news. She had just opened her shop along Moi Avenue and stepped out briefly towards the National Archives to check for stock when she encountered one of her brother’s acquaintances.
“I had just opened shop and walked to the National Archives to check for stock when I met one of Muendo’s friends,” she said.
“He asked me, ‘Why are you in town yet your brother has been rushed to Mbagathi Hospital in a bad condition after being beaten up by a bouncer near his workplace?’ My blood curdled.”
“I told the man to escort me to the hospital and we immediately rushed to Mbagathi. By the time we got there, my brother had already been moved to KNH,” she added.
Without hesitation, they changed course and made their way to Kenyatta National Hospital, arriving within minutes. There, they found Muendo at the emergency section, not yet formally admitted, lying on a bed near the entrance.
He was in visible distress, mumbling inaudibly, his condition clearly worsening by the minute.
“I called his name and that is the only time he lifted his head and opened his eyes. Rather than talk, he retched, vomited, then covered his mouth with his hands and fell asleep again,” Ms Mutheu said.
The sight of her younger brother in such a state overwhelmed her. She recalled feeling faint, her body giving in to the shock of the moment. For hours, she drifted in and out of awareness, only regaining full composure around 11am.
By then, more family members had begun arriving at the hospital, each confronted with the grim reality of Muendo’s condition. He had been moved to the intensive care unit, where machines and tubes now sustained him.
Doctors later informed the family that his blood pressure was critically low and that he required urgent imaging to determine the extent of his injuries.
“The doctor came back and told us he had internal bleeding and needed surgery as soon as possible. I was told his chances of survival were 10 per cent. It was around 1am on Sunday,” she said.
As the closest immediate relative present, Ms Mutheu was asked to sign the consent form to allow doctors to proceed with surgery. It was a decision that weighed heavily on her, coming at a moment when emotions were raw and uncertainty clouded every thought.
“When I called home, they told me to accept the situation. Those who had seen my brother said he had no chances of survival,” she said.
Despite repeated calls from doctors through the night, urging her to sign the consent form, she hesitated, torn between hope and the grim assessments she was receiving from both medical staff and family members.
Eventually, after consultations with relatives who had also arrived at the hospital, the family reached a consensus.
“The doctors told us they would go ahead with the surgery because it was the only option left. That is when we agreed that I should sign the consent form. It was past 6am,” she said.
Exhausted after nearly two days without sleep, Ms Mutheu briefly left the hospital to rest at her home in Kariobangi South, intending to return later in the morning once she had regained some strength.
“He never even made it to the operation theatre,” she said.
Muendo had only been in the egg vending business for less than a week, having previously tried selling sweets and snacks like his sister before deciding he was better suited to a different trade. Those close to him say he had been hopeful about this new venture, seeing it as a more stable way to earn a living in the city.
He is survived by a young wife and a ten-month-old son at their home in Huruma, a family now left to grapple not only with grief but also with the sudden loss of a provider.
The incident was reported at Nairobi Central Police Station under OB number 65/05/04/2026, with the family expressing concern over the circumstances that led to his death and calling for swift action against those responsible.
Nairobi Central Sub-county Police Commander Philemon Nyakombo confirmed the case, saying investigations are ongoing and that efforts are being made to apprehend the suspect.
“Yes, it is true that a young man was beaten up at the club and we are following up on the matter. The main suspect, the bouncer, is still on the run but we will catch up with him,” he said.
