
The UN Migration Agency IOM has called for thorough investigation in to the murder of one of its staff members and an Iraqi national on Friday, February 18.
Mazin Hanna Matti, an administrative and finance officer for Health Assessment Programme at IOM, was jogging alone near his residence along Gitanga Road when three gunmen riding on a motorcycle struck at about 6.30 pm, shot and killed Matti in a robbery of his mobile phone in Nairobi’s Lavington area.
Witnesses told police that the criminals approached Matti and demanded his mobile phone and cash. When he resisted, they shot him in the leg, the right knee. The gang grabbed his mobile phone and rode off on a motorcycle whose registration numbers had been concealed.
Nairobi deputy police boss James Mugera said the victim bled profusely as he was being rushed to the hospital by a Good Samaritan.
“We are devastated to learn of a tragedy involving a member of the UN Migration Agency (IOM) family on Friday (18 Feb) in Nairobi. The staff was killed in what appears to have been a violent robbery. Our heartfelt condolences and thoughts are with his family, friends and close colleagues,” Yvonne Ndege, Regional Spokesperson, IOM East and Horn of Africa said in a statement.
“We trust that the authorities will carry out a thorough investigation and bring whoever responsible for this crime to justice,” Ndege added.
She appealed for the privacy of his family to be respected.
A police officer guarding a diplomatic residence near Muthangari Gardens heard the shooting and rushed out, only to find the gang riding off on motorcycle that had its number plate concealed. He shot at them but missed.