Mathare: Thugs stab dad to death while taking 3-year-old son to school at dawn

A middle aged man was on Monday morning stabbed and killed by suspected thieves, while taking his three-year-old son to school in Mathare 4A area.

The attack happened around 5:40am.

The deceased, identified only as Michael, was fatally stabbed on the right side of the stomach by what is believed to be a knife.

A neighbour told Wananchi Reporting that she heard commotion outside her house; a man’s voice calling for help in loud distress.

“We rushed outside together with other neighbours to try and help the man,” said Irene, a resident and neighbour.

Irene said she flashed her torch in an attempt to see through the early morning darkness.

“I immediately recognised the victim as my neighbour. The I flashed the light on the side and saw his child, crying. The little boy looked helpless, as the dad gasped for breath. The man died before an ambulance could arrive,” said Irene.

According to the neighbours, the deceased was a single father. He had reportedly been living alone with the son since he was three months old.

Residents have raised concern over rising cases of insecurity in Mathare 4A, area F.

“There have been cases of fatal stabbings in this area. Insecurity is rife, and people now leave in constant fear,” said Felix Popo, a resident who has been working to help transform youth in the area.

“The deceased was a simple man who worked in mjengo here in Nairobi. This is quite unfortunate, and that is why we are asking youth to ditch crime while there is still time,” said Popo, himself a completely reformed criminal.

At the scene of the incident, an open lunch box – containing food (ugali and omena) lay scattered on the dusty road.

This was supposed to be his son’s lunch for the day, but now it lay on the ground, telling a story of painful struggle and an unknown future.

“It’s possible the deceased put up a fight, and it’s not clear if the thugs stole anything,” said Popo.

Angry residents on Monday morning temporarily blocked the police from collecting the body – with many accusing the officers of ineptitude.

Officers from Muthaiga police station would later take the body to the Nairobi Funeral Home, after a protracted ‘fight’ with residents.