A Kenyan family in Malava, Busia County, is living a nightmare no parent should ever face. A hardworking truck driver, Edwin Njuguna Ngugi, was killed in the lawless eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), his body left for days, while his family learned of his death through social media.
The family is in anguish. A son, a brother, a father brutally murdered. Edwin was driving a truck from Mombasa to Congo, a distance of 1,642 kilometres. On April 3, at exactly 2:22 p.m., his phone went silent.
“Nilianza kuongea na yeye tarehe 2 akilalamika ya kwamba gari imeharibikia mahali pabaya na ako mikononi mibaya,” said Rose Ngugi, his mother.
A day earlier, he had spoken to his cousin in Mombasa. In his final call, Edwin described the danger he was facing after his truck broke down in Bunia.
“Umeona masaibu yamenipata huku barabara ni mbaya kabisa gari jana ilikatika trailer ikadunga chini sasa nalindwa na wanajeshi…jana karibu nipigwe na watu, walikuja hapa na mapanga wanataka kuniibia bahati mzuri wanajeshi wakakuja juu niko kwa kichaka…mwenye mzigo alikuwa amesema atakuja na gari ingine wabadilishe hio mzigo halafu hio trailer ichomwe sasa ndio nawangojea sahi,” said Edwin then.
Desperate, Edwin sought protection from local soldiers. It is alleged they took his money and later abandoned him. He was reportedly attacked by armed groups, killed, and his truck looted.
Days later, fellow Kenyan drivers found his decomposing body and shared images in a WhatsApp group seeking identification.
That is how his family confirmed his death, nearly ten days later.
Edwin’s body remains at Bunia Main Hospital, while his truck is still at the scene. His family says they cannot afford to travel to Congo to retrieve his body and are appealing for government intervention.
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