Rabai: The family of a 40-year-old mason, Dennis Nyakanga, is demanding justice after he died when a crane collapsed on him while working at a quarry owned by a cement company in Rabai Sub-County, Kilifi County. Nyakanga, who left behind a wife and two children, was constructing a perimeter wall at the site when the crane suddenly toppled, trapping him beneath the heavy metal structure on October 16. Efforts by his colleagues to rescue him were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to Kenya News Agency, Elizabeth Nyakanga, the deceased’s sister, said the family travelled from Kisii to Mombasa seeking justice but has been taken in circles between the mortuary and the company. ‘They lied to us, saying we should take the body to Kisii first, then they would come to compensate us. We won’t move the body without getting justice,’ she said, adding that Nyakanga was the sole breadwinner for his family and their ailing mother.
Joseph Ongera, the deceased’s brother, said their efforts to obtain the postmortem report had been futile, alleging that the company conducted the postmortem without family members present. ‘We have been denied all postmortem documents. What we want is justice, which would be served by providing us with a postmortem report. They are taking us in circles,’ said Ongera. ‘We are stranded and don’t know what to do. We need justice and documents from the police and hospital to know what exactly caused his death,’ he added, calling on the company to release CCTV footage showing the moments leading to the fatal accident.
Evans Momanyi, a Human Rights Activist, says they received a frantic call from the family who had travelled from Kisii County to pursue justice for their departed kin. He noted that the family is in distress as they pursue justice. ‘They have been staying in a guest house since the Directors of that company have been dodging them. In one way or another, they have told them that they are going to give them Sh3 million so that they don’t disclose this information to the media anywhere,’ disclosed Momanyi.
‘They even told them they will incur the expenses of the mortuary and ensure that they give them transport for the deceased. Up to date, as I am standing here, there is nothing that has been done to the family,’ he said. He further alleged monkey business between officers investigating the death and the company in a bid to cover up, and deny the family justice for their kin’s unfortunate death while on duty. He decried that the family is being taken in circles and they are being forced to sign forms they don’t understand in the absence of a Lawyer.