Killed Maseno University student laid to rest in Nyamira

Thursday, 6th April 2023

The third-year Maseno University student who died on March 20 after he was allegedly shot by police during protests was buried on Wednesday in Nyamira County.

William Mayange, an Education student, died soon after he was rushed to hospital with a bullet wound on his neck.

The burial service was attended by various leaders, including Kisii Governor Simba Arati and his Kisumu counterpart Anyang Nyong’o.

The leaders in attendance condemned the police for opting to use live bullets to disperse unarmed protesters. They called for justice for Mayange’s family.

“Unprovoked excessive use of force by the police is not only criminal but uncalled for,” Arati said.

In the March 20 incident, reports pointed out that students from Maseno University had barricaded the Kisumu-Busia road in a show of support for the opposition protests demanding the lowering of the cost of living.

According to a video seen by The Standard, Mayange is seen alongside other students while picketing before he suddenly drops to the ground.

Police claimed that the students had invaded a supermarket next to the institution.

“They overpowered the officers who were manning the station. The officers had run out of teargas canisters and blanks,” The Standard quotes the police.

The shooting sparked tensions at the institutions as more students came out to protest the killing of their colleague. Mayange’s killing is under investigation by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), alongside a second incident in Migori County where another protester was shot dead by a police officer.