A third-year Quantity Survey student at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, who went missing at the onset of anti-Finance Bill protests in Nairobi, died by drowning, a post-mortem report revealed Tuesday.
An autopsy conducted at Thika-based General Kago funeral home shows the 23-year-old had bruises at the back of his head and on his legs.
While the pathologists did not address journalists over the matter, Amnesty International Kenya Executive Director Irungu Houghton said Danzel Omondi’s body was discovered on July 6, floating in deserted Mashinani quarries in Juja, a move that raised suspicion over his cause of death.
“We demand a credible independent investigation to reveal and prosecute who abducted, killed and dumped #OccupyCBD protester Denzel Omondi in a quarry to hide their crime,” said Irungu.
On June 25, Omondi was protesting at the National Assembly and would be later seen at the university the following day only to disappear on June 27.
“I am inside, where is this? Occupy parliament,” Omondi, the firstborn in his family is heard saying in a video of him within the vicinity of August House which has since flickered on social media.
James Otieno, the deceased’s father said he spoke to his son last on June 27 in the morning but his phone went off later in the day, an incident he thought was ordinary.
He would later receive distressing calls informing him about the disappearance of his son, information that elicited apprehension in his family.
“The last time I spoke to him he had no signs of fear but when he went missing, that brought worry to us as family. I spoke to him on June 27 but his phone went off in the evening and we thought he would call back. I came to learn of his disappearance later through a call from a person from home,” said Otieno.
“I am saddened by the death of my son Omondi. He was a promising man whom we hoped would finish his studies and become a productive nation builder. We leave everything to God but we shall pursue justice,” he told journalists.
Police say they are investigating the incident.
A team from Juja said they were called and informed the student’s body was lying at the quarry.
It is believed the victim was killed elsewhere and the body dumped at the scene it was discovered.
Human rights organisations say dozens of people who participated in the protests are either missing or in hiding after learning they are being hunted by state agencies.
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