A fresh wave of outrage has erupted following the fatal shooting of 28-year-old youth organiser Cecil Ouma, with Protest Victims Compensation Panel chairman Makau Mutua now demanding a full and transparent investigation into the incident linked to a security officer attached to Youth Affairs Principal Secretary Fikirini Jacobs.
In a reaction, Mutua described the killing as a “tragedy” that raises urgent questions about the use of force at public events involving young people.
“It’s tragic Cecil Ouma, a young man attending a youth empowerment event, was allegedly shot dead by a security officer attached to Youth Affairs PS Fikirini Jacobs,” he said.
He insisted that the matter must not be downplayed, calling for swift legal action against those found culpable.
“This tragedy must be investigated thoroughly and fully so that everyone responsible faces the full force of the law,” Mutua added, warning that impunity in such cases undermines public trust.
“There must be no place in our society for such a calamity.”
Ouma, a civil engineering student at the Technical University of Kenya and an active youth mobiliser in Nairobi, was reportedly shot following a confrontation after a youth empowerment forum in Kariokor.
According to witnesses, he had been chosen by fellow youths to return or renegotiate a cash token issued after the event, which some attendees considered inadequate.
However, conflicting accounts have since emerged over what transpired in the final moments before the shooting.
Witnesses claim Ouma approached or entered the PS’s vehicle, where a confrontation ensued before he was shot and fell out of the moving car.
On the other hand, police reports indicate that security officers fired to disperse a crowd that had surrounded the vehicle, suggesting the incident occurred in the midst of chaos.
The young organiser sustained gunshot wounds to the upper body and was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The case has now drawn national attention, piling pressure on investigators to establish the truth and ensure accountability.
As calls for justice grow louder, Mutua’s remarks are likely to intensify scrutiny on the conduct of security officers and the safety of youth at politically linked public events, with many now watching closely for the next steps in the investigation.