The recent killing of suspected gang members in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area has continued to elicit emotions from various quarters.
Some applauded the shooting while others strongly condemned the act claiming it was inhuman.
Victims who have fallen into the hands of these terror gangs have no love lost and have been left with lifetime scars.
One such person is Nahashon Nyaleti, who is fighting for his life at a city hospital after he came face to face with a brutal gang around Pangani area.
Mr Nyaleti was accosted by a group of young men as he went home from work late last year and was ordered to surrender everything he had.
He duly obliged but to his surprise, even after giving them his wallet, they drew daggers and stabbed him 12 times.
He nursed injuries on the arm, chest and stomach and doctors later found out that he had suffered serious damage to his small intestines.
Nyaleti has been in and out of hospital since then and was recently admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after developing complications in his abdomen.
According to his uncle, he was the sole bread-winner of his family but the brutal attack has cast a dark shadow over the future of those who depended on him.
As he lies in his hospital bed, the pain he is going through can be envisaged and the marks on his body serve as a stark reminder of a night that almost ended his life.
Human rights activists strongly opposed the shootings in Eastleigh and argued that the suspects should have been apprehended and due process followed.
Residents of the area, however, read from a totally different script and offered police their full support saying the gang had been terrorising pedestrians for a long time.
Nairobi has been synonymous with dangerous gangs like Kamaliza Sacco, Bumburusha, Siafu Nyuki, Apana Tambua, Gaza, 42 brothers, Tsunami, Superpower among others and victims have claimed that they kill with reckless abandon.
As the families of the slain suspects lay them to rest, debate will continue to rage on whether criminals should be dealt with on the spot or by following the due legal procedure.
What remains clear is that the families of those who have fallen prey to these gangs will forever live with the scars.
