A mother in central Kenya has spoken of her anguish after discovering the body of her 17-year-old son in a mortuary, two days after he disappeared amidst violent protests against a proposed US-funded Ebola quarantine centre. Lucy Kagure had been desperately searching for Sylvester Muigai Ndung'u in hospitals and police stations following the unrest in Nanyuki earlier this week, only to find him listed as an unidentified male at a local mortuary.
Ms Kagure described the harrowing moment she identified her son, stating that 'half of his head had been split open' and his clothes were 'soaked in blood'. Witnesses at the scene claimed Muigai had been shot in the head. However, local police commander Daniel Kitavi indicated that authorities were awaiting a post-mortem examination to officially determine the cause of death. Family members have also reported that police officers suggested a tear-gas canister, rather than a bullet, might have been responsible for his fatal injuries.
According to his mother, Sylvester had left their home on Tuesday to collect his school uniform from an aunt when he became inadvertently caught up in the demonstrations. Ms Kagure tearfully criticised the police's response, saying, 'The police used too much force.' She highlighted her struggles as a single mother, earning approximately £1.70 a day from casual work, to raise her son, who was described by his family as well-behaved and aspiring to become a priest.
Sylvester Muigai Ndung'u is now the third individual to have died amid the ongoing protests against the planned 50-bed quarantine facility. The isolation unit, intended for US citizens affected by the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is slated for construction at the Laikipia Air Base. The proposal has ignited significant public apprehension in Kenya, primarily concerning potential cross-border infection risks and a perceived lack of transparency from the government regarding the centre's establishment.
Legal challenges have also emerged, with the High Court last month ordering a halt to the facility's opening after a rights group argued it posed 'grave and imminent risks' to public health. Despite this judicial intervention, satellite imagery reviewed by the BBC suggests that construction at the airbase has continued. Kenyan President William Ruto has defended the project, citing a US request and deeming a refusal 'inhuman', urging Kenyans not to politicise the serious matter of Ebola.
On the day Sylvester went missing, demonstrators had initially planned a peaceful march to deliver a petition against the facility. However, clashes erupted when police blocked access to the site, deploying tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds. Protesters responded by erecting roadblocks and lighting bonfires. The Kenya Human Rights Commission has since accused the police of employing excessive force, including live ammunition and arbitrary arrests, allegations to which authorities have not yet responded. Ms Kagure is now seeking justice for her son.