Kenyan family demands justice after man murdered by taxi colleagues in South Africa

A Kenyan national, Enock Hosea Wamare, aged 30, of Muhanda, Gem Constituency, Siaya County, has been fatally stabbed to death at his home in Cape Town by his taxi colleagues.

The deceased, known by the alias ‘Blacky’, had been residing in South Africa since 2013, when he was awarded a scholarship from Maseno University to pursue studies in pure accounting at the University of Cape Town.

Upon graduation, he entered the business world, operating a hairdressing salon, spa, and taxi in the South African capital.

Wamare’s brother, Washington Obara, who spoke to The Nation, informed the media that the family received news of their kinsman’s demise on Wednesday evening from his sister.

“I received a call from my sister at 1 a.m. informing me that Enock had passed on. When I checked with friends in South Africa, they told me that my brother was attacked at his home by people he worked with in the taxi business,” Obara said.

“They told me that my brother drove his would-be killers to his house where they stabbed him to death."

In the wake of this tragedy, the grieving family is calling upon the Kenyan government for assistance in unravelling the circumstances surrounding their kin's death. They are also urging the authorities to facilitate the repatriation of Wamare's body to Kenya for a proper burial.

“We want justice for our late brother. The Kenyan Embassy in South Africa should take up the matter and launch an investigation. The perpetrators must be brought to book,” Obara emphatically declared.

Obare made a noteworthy statement, urging the government to issue red alerts for countries that may pose safety risks to Kenyan citizens.

He emphasized that his brother had been dedicated to his studies and had conducted his business activities entirely within the boundaries of the law.

"The government should issue red alerts on countries that are unsafe for Kenyans. My brother was studying and just doing his business without breaking the law," he said.

As investigations are expected to be initiated by the relevant authorities, the Kenyan community in South Africa mourns the loss of a fellow countryman, while Wamare's family grapples with the devastating loss of a promising young man who had embarked on a journey of education and entrepreneurship in a foreign land, only to meet a tragic end at the hands of those he had worked alongside.