Image: COURTESY
Nominated senator Karen Nyamu has donated Unga and Sh50,000 to the family of the late Rex Kanyike, the 29-year-old man who was killed during recent demos.
Nyamu sent her team to visit Mama Rex with her kind donation. She also offered her heartfelt condolences to Kanyike’s family.
In a phone conversation with Mama Rex, Nyamu promised to visit the family and pay her last respects to their late son. She encouraged the family to remain strong as they mourned their beloved son.
“I really wanted to come but my security advised me not to, because of my affiliation with the government and his friends might be triggered. But I will come to see you after the burial and when everything settles. We arrange how you will be helped as far as your job is also concerned. I feel you,” Senator Nyamu said.
Nyamu added that her biggest prayer is that no one dies because of the ongoing protests.
On her side, Mama Rex appreciated Karen Nyamu’s kind donation stating that it would go a long way towards helping the family give their son a decent sendoff.
“I did receive the sh50, 000 donation, and thank you very much. We are trying to be strong. The donation will help in a big way,” Mama Rex said.
Human Rights organizations have condemned Rex's killing and called for a probe into his death.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority said it has already instituted investigations into the fatal shooting.
His parents said they received news of his sudden death from a friend who was with him during the protests.
They said he had just left work and decided to join the demonstrators with his friends and colleagues before heading home.
The distraught parents said Kanyike had just moved out of the home to start life independently after he landed a job.
They described Kanyike, their firstborn son, as a hardworking, calm, and obedient person.
Society often expects firstborns to succeed and set a good example for their siblings, and Kanyike did not fall short of this expectation.
His parents painted the picture of a determined young man who was keen on piecing his life together before his desire to stand in solidarity with the majority opposed to 'over taxation' led to his sudden demise.
His father Augustine Odhiambo could not hide his pain when describing the last moments of his son as told by those he was with.
To Odhiambo, his son's death is a case of double tragedy.
He revealed that he was yet to come to terms with the loss of his brother and is now faced with another loss; mourning his firstborn son.
"I was informed that my son was shot around 7 pm. He was in the company of his friends and was just from work. They decided to join the peaceful protest before going home and that was when everything turned worse," he said.
Odhiambo said his son was a calm, obedient, and non-violent person.
