Mirema shooting: Killer had lay in wait for unsuspecting victim
Preliminary investigations have shown that Samuel Mugo Mugota was driving a Honda CRV was obstructed by another motor vehicle, a white Toyota Premio after dropping the two at Mirema Springs apartments at around 4pm.
The man who was shot and killed in broad daylight at Mirema Springs in Nairobi’s Roysambu neighbourhood after dropping two women home on Monday afternoon was a marked man. CCTV camera images of the incident shows Samuel Mugo Mugota’s killer, in a black jacket, jeans, a white T-shirt and a cap pacing between two buildings, waiting for his target to approach before firing at him six times as a woman walks by.
He then dashes to a waiting silver Toyota Allion that speeds off, leaving the estate in shock. The footage reveals that the incident happened at around 13:56pm.
Mugota’s body was found with blood splattered all over his white shirt and beige trousers, the windshield of his vehicle, a Honda CRV, shattered and the engine still running.
Witnesses told police the assailant was on a mission to ensure he killed the motorist, because after firing the initial shots, he paused, then shot him again.
When officers arrived at the scene, they collected six 9mm spent cartridges, four mobile phones and the deceased’s personal effects, including several identity cards and a National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) card. The body was booked at the city mortuary under the name Njoroge.
Preliminary investigations have shown that Samuel Mugo Mugota was driving a Honda CRV was obstructed by another motor vehicle, a white Toyota Premio after dropping the two at Mirema Springs apartments at around 4pm.
His wife and daughters, however, later positively identified him as Samuel Mugo Mugota.
The Nation learnt that the name put down at the mortuary stemmed from his alias “Njoro”, a name he is allegedly known by, and which may have led to the assumption that his name was Moses Njoroge Muiruri, which was on one identity card, as well as an NHIF card found by the police in his car.
A post-mortem examination revealed that he died from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest. His family did not want to address the media to shed light on what he did for a living.
Silence from police
The scene where the late Samuel Mugota's body was abandoned after an assailant shot him dead in broad daylight in Mirema, Kasarani.
In Mirema, residents were still coming to terms with the shocking incident, the majority choosing not to give an account of what they saw for fear of victimisation. At the same time, officers from Kasarani Police Division opted for silence over the killing, only stating that they were investigating the motive.
Strangely, the man’s car was not parked at the station's yard when the Nation visited the police station yesterday. The Nation has, however, established that the car, a Honda CRV, is currently registered as being owned by ICEA Lion General Insurance Company Ltd.
National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA)'s records also show the previous owner is listed as Ambrose Mbugua Kirobi, with a search showing he is an agronomist.
ICEA Head of Communications Nkatha Gitonga clarified that the car belonged to one of the company’s clients.
“It was involved in an accident in February 2021 and was written off, we paid the client for the write off and the car’s ownership was transferred back to us hence the logbook reading ICEA Lion General Insurance,” she explained.
The company then sold the vehicle in a salvage auction in August 2021.
“The responsibility of transferring the ownership in the log book is the responsibility of the buyer. To date, the vehicle’s ownership has not been transferred,” she added.
Recent murders
The country has in the recent past witnessed similar shocking murders. In March this year, 66-year-old Sudhir Shah, a director at Ndarugo Plantation 1960 Ltd, was shot and killed by two assailants riding a motorbike after he concluded a meeting at the company’s office.
In June last year, Daniel Gucoma Ndutire died on the spot at Gwa-Kairu, Juja, after a three-man gang riding a motorcycle sprayed his White Subaru Forester with bullets.
In 2018, another motorist was killed after his white Mercedes Benz was sprayed with dozens of bullets near the Vincentian Retreat Centre on the Thika Superhighway. His assailants then sped off towards Nairobi.
