Police have questioned seven people, including two bodyguards attached to Youth Affairs Principal Secretary Fikirini Jacobs, as investigations intensify into the fatal shooting of youth mobiliser Cecil Ouma following a government youth empowerment forum in Nairobi.
Ouma, a 28-year-old Civil Engineering student at the Technical University of Kenya and an active youth mobiliser, was shot dead on Tuesday along Park Road shortly after attending an event organised by the State Department for Youth Affairs under the KIKAO programme in Kariokor.
Detectives are seeking to establish the circumstances that led to the shooting and have so far recorded statements from the two security officers attached to the Principal Secretary, a director from the State Department for Youth Affairs who was reportedly inside the PS’s vehicle at the time, and several witnesses who were present during the incident.
Police said investigators are also relying on witness accounts and forensic evidence as they work to reconstruct the sequence of events that ended in Ouma’s death.
According to family members, Ouma had mobilised about 60 young people to attend the government forum. After the event, concerns reportedly emerged among participants over transport money that had allegedly been provided.
Ouma’s brother, Jeff Otieno, said the youth leader had been given Sh10,000 by the Principal Secretary and later informed the group about the amount.
"He was given Sh10,000 by the PS. He told the youths waiting for the money, 'I only have Sh10,000. I don't know how we will share it.' They told him the amount was too little and advised him to return the money to the PS instead of fighting over it," said Ouma's brother, Jeff Otieno.
Otieno said Ouma then went back to the Principal Secretary’s vehicle to seek clarification over the issue. It was during that encounter, according to the family, that a confrontation allegedly occurred before the shooting.
Youth leader Willie Maina said they rushed to the scene after hearing gunshots moments later.
"Jam ilikuwa, tukaskia risasi zimelia, so we rushed to that event. Tukapata ilikuwa Park Road Primary. On the perimeter wall, the comrade was lying down," Maina said.
Ouma was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Police have not revealed what transpired in the moments immediately before the shooting and have yet to identify the person who fired the fatal shot.
No arrests have been made so far, and authorities have not indicated whether any of the individuals who have recorded statements are likely to face charges as investigations continue.
Detectives are expected to rely on the statements already collected, witness testimonies and forensic findings to determine responsibility for the shooting and establish the events that led to the death of the university student and youth mobiliser.