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Beer worth Sh170 costs two men their lives

January 5th, 2016 2 min read

By ERIC WAINAINA, @EWainaina

Two young men were on Sunday night beaten to death in Githunguri, Kiambu County after they allegedly failed to settle a Sh170 bill for a bottle of beer they had taken at a local bar.

Peter Muchai, 25, and David Muchai, 21, were reported to have been beaten by the bar owner and a night guard at a bar in Kwamaiko Trading Centre.

Eyewitnesses said the two, who hail from the nearby Lioki village, had taken a bottle of White Cup beer worth Sh170 but did not pay, prompting the owner and the watchman to attack them.

The incident took place at Wamarion’s Bar, a popular liquor joint in the area few minutes past 11 pm.

Stacy Wanjiku, a waitress  at the bar, said after closing the bar at around 11 pm, she heard commotion from behind the bar.

When she rushed to check, she said she found her employer and her bar watchman mercilessly beating two people.

“I asked what was happening and I was told that they had taken a bottle of beer but had refused to pay. My efforts to calm the situation was futile after I was also asked to leave and being a mere employer, I obliged,” Ms Wanjiku said.

BODIES DUMPED

The two bodies were found dumped a few meters away from the bar on Monday morning.

Mr Wanjiku said she noticed that they belonged to the two men who were being beaten at the bar the previous night.

This sparked an outrage among the locals who raided the bar and an adjacent retail shop which also belongs to the bar owner where they destroyed and looted properties and stock.

The owner of the bar and the watchman are still at large but Githunguri police boss Ranson Lolmodoni said they are searching for them.

Mr Lolmodoni confirmed that reports made to them indicated that the two, who are boda boda riders, were attacked for failing to pay a beer bill.

“We have had the version but were are carrying out investigations to establish exactly what happened. The owner of the bar is on the run but we are looking for her so that she can record a statement,” Mr Lolmodoni said.

Police had a hard time trying to control the mob who had camped outside the bar, demanding to be allowed to bring down the premises.