About five kilometres off the busy Mombasa–Malindi road, a narrow, dusty path winds its way into the heart of Pindukiani village in Ganda Ward, Kilifi County.
The road leads to a homestead that tells a silent story long before any words are spoken.
This is where we find the family of Jola Ngumbao, the man whose life was cut short in the heat of political tension in 2019.
Ngumbao was shot dead when former Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa stormed an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) strategy meeting meant to train polling agents on the eve of a Ganda Ward by-election.
The homestead is unpretentious and unfenced, its simplicity stark against the weight of grief it carries.
Two are tin-roofed, their mud walls showing signs of wear, while the third is a traditional ‘makuti’ structure, blending into the coconut trees-dotted landscape.
Here, poverty is not something hidden in corners or whispered about. It greets you at the entrance. It seeps through the cracked walls, clings to the barren yard, and lingers in the tired, grieving eyes of those left behind.
This is more than the family home of the late Ngumbao. It is ground zero of grief, loss, and quiet endurance in the face of tragedy.
Some twenty metres away, his grave lies exposed, a fresh mound of brown earth clearly visible from a distance, a haunting reminder of a tragedy that struck this homestead on October 15, 2019.
“This is where Ngumbao was buried. The grave is well-kept. Do you see how it still looks fresh? That is how fresh the pain is in my heart,” says Kaka Mumba, Ngumbao’s mother, her fingers trembling as she clasps them tightly to her chest.
The family of Jola Ngumbao who was killed during the Ganda Ward by-election in Malindi in 2019, (from left): Kaka Mumba, Mary Jola, Moses Kazungu Jola and Moses Iha Jola. Here, the family is pictured at the burial site outside their family home in Pindukiani, Malindi, Kilifi County, on May 21, 2025.
Photo credit: Kevin Odit | Nation
The presence of the Nation team appears to reopen old wounds she has fought hard to keep sealed for more than six years. Yet, she holds back her tears, battling emotions that threaten to overwhelm her.
Ngumbao was her second-born child, the eldest son in a family of six consisting of three boys and three girls.
As the first male child, he had naturally stepped into the role of family caretaker, assuming the responsibility of looking after his mother, now in her seventies.
“A firstborn son often steps into the shoes of his father. That’s what Ngumbao did. He took care of me,” she says, her voice soft but firm, tinged with pride and loss.
She vividly recalls the events of that fateful day, October 15, 2019, as though it were yesterday.
At around 11 am, a relative arrived and encouraged her children to attend an ODM meeting being held at the nearby homestead of Reuben Katana, a relative and local political aspirant.
“That is where my son was shot dead. I heard that Ms Jumwa stormed the meeting and everything turned chaotic,” she says flatly.
Mary Jola younger sister to Jola Ngumbao who was killed during the Ganda Ward By-Election in 2019 in Malindi at their Family home in Pindukiani, Malindi Kilifi County in this photo taken on May 21, 2025.
Photo credit: Kevin Odit | Nation
Her daughter, Mary Jola, had been among the attendees. She witnessed the fracas firsthand.
“We started running the moment she arrived. It was chaotic. Then I heard gunshots… Everyone was screaming and fleeing in panic. Later, I learned that my brother was the one who had been shot dead,” she recounts.
“We don’t really care for politics. We only attended because of family ties. Ngumbao wasn’t political, he worked manual jobs to support his family and take care of our mother,” she says.
After the incident, Ms Jumwa and her aide, Geoffrey Otieno Okuto, were arrested and charged with murder.
The family was aware of the charges, but little else about the proceedings.
They say no one kept them informed about the case proceedings before the High Court in Mombasa. The wheels of justice turned, but they were kept in the dark.
“Mombasa is far from here. We couldn’t afford the transport to attend court hearings,” says Iha Jola, Ngumbao’s brother.
It took the Nation team’s visit to break the news to them that the court had acquitted all the accused.
Kaka Mumba, mother of Jola Ngumbao, was killed during the Ganda Ward by-election in Malindi in 2019, at their Family home in Pindukiani, Malindi Kilifi County on May 21, 2025.
Photo credit: Kevin Odit | Nation
This information stunned the family into silence. Then came disbelief, followed by anguish.
“So they’ve been acquitted?” they asked in unison, clutching their heads, their voices a mix of shock and despair.
“Now I feel his death has gone unpunished. We’ve been deceived. Forgotten. Even the justice system we trusted has failed us. Where is justice in this country?” asked Ms Mumba, her voice cracking.
She has only one plea left for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions: “Please file an appeal against the acquittal. We want justice for our kin.”
“So his blood just goes like that, without even compensation?” she asked
Mary, too, cannot hide her heartbreak. She witnessed it all, and the verdict is unbearable.
“What pains me most is that it was Ms Jumwa who stormed that meeting. That’s what led to the chaos and my brother’s death. If she hadn’t come, he would still be alive,” she says.
It is worth noting that witnesses told the court that Ms Jumwa’s storming the meeting was the cause of the chaos that led to Ngumbao’s death.
In addition to this, Mr Okuto, while defending himself, mentioned that he had warned Ms Jumwa, her then boss, not to go to the ODM meeting.
For the family, the pain of losing Ngumbao is made even heavier by the knowledge that those they believe were responsible have walked free.
“I’m not satisfied with the acquittal. My brother died a painful death when a politician stormed a private home. The Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Renson Ingonga, must appeal this ruling so justice can be served,” Moses Jola, another of Ngumbao’s siblings, said.
With a voice heavy with sorrow, he recalled how a colleague had sensed danger and urged his brother to leave the venue. But the deceased, unwavering and calm, had refused.
“He insisted he was at home. He said there was no need to leave,” Moses recounted quietly.
“Whoever shot my brother shouted that nothing would happen to them because they are the government,” Moses said, his voice cracking with pain.
Since that fateful day, the family has not only had to bear the loss of their kin but also endure what they call cold silence from those in positions of power.
Moses spoke with deep disappointment, revealing that not even Ms Jumwa – then a key political figure linked to the incident – had visited the grieving family.
“She never came. Not once. Not even a message to say sorry,” he said, fighting back emotion.
He also dismissed rumours that the family received any help from the politician or even the ODM party, in whose meeting their kin met their death.
“We’ve also heard rumours that someone met our family to discuss compensation. That’s a lie. Let me clarify: we have never had any talks with anyone, not even Ms Jumwa. No one from her side has come to our home or sent anyone to mourn with us,” he said.
Their pleas, he said, are now only directed to the government.
With no means to fight a prolonged legal battle, the family is leaning on faith and the hope that justice, if not by man, then by God, will be done.
“We know those who killed our brother don’t care. But we ask the government, at least, to help us seek justice – to ensure we are compensated, and the culprits jailed. If they won’t, we leave them to God. They may have power today, but their day will come. God is the ultimate judge,” Moses said bitterly.
Ms Jumwa was earlier discharged from the case after the ODPP said it reviewed the evidence and concluded that there was nothing linking her directly to the crime.
Aisha Jumwa (right) and former aide Geoffrey Okuto Otieno in a Mombasa court on October 17, 2019.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
Last week, the High Court in Mombasa acquitted Mr Okuto of the murder charge, bringing to a close the six-year trial into the killing of Ngumbao.
Justice Wendy Micheni, in her ruling, analysed the testimonies of twelve witnesses, alongside a forensic report on the firearm suspected to have been used.
In the end, the judge ruled that no concrete evidence had linked Mr Okuto to the fatal shooting.
“The prosecution has failed to prove the murder case against the accused beyond a reasonable doubt. The suspect is hereby acquitted of the offence of murder,” Justice Micheni declared in her judgment.
The judge ruled that the evidence was insufficient to convict Mr Okuto, giving him the benefit of the doubt.
Only one witness claimed to see him fire a weapon, but inconsistencies in their testimony weakened the case.
“This report was not able to confirm the firearm that discharged the bullet that killed the deceased,” Justice Micheni noted.
Several witnesses, including police officers, testified that the chaos and shooting were triggered by former CS Jumwa’s forceful interruption of the ODM training meeting.
For Ngumbao’s family, however, the court’s decision has brought little closure — only deeper pain from what they describe as a double loss.
