On the 19th of August 2005, 21 years old June Wangu was shot dead in Jericho estate, her only known safety heaven (home). A group of armed gangsters approached June at about 7 pm in the company of her little brother, relieved her off her mobile phone, then shot her dead at close range. June was a social actress from Eastlands, Nairobi, innocent of the lethal accessory that spilt her blood. The incident surrounding Mrs. Wangu’s Death and the deaths of many more innocent Kenyans thus prompts the initiative to a National Campaign against Guns, Drugs and Crime.

Source: Kikwetu Festival (info@kikwetu-festival.org)

Kenyan poet Jacob Oketch Tambo wrote this poem inspired by the event above…

DISTRESS CALL

The wretched of the earth
Without a right to life
Death hangs on our shoulders
Because the vile-hearted
Have been let loose

You spilt her blood
Without her permission
How can we permit?
Such ruthlessness and cruelty
In our midst

Bitterness
Engulfs our souls
For the loss of loved ones
The society is sick
Therapy is housed
In repentance and forgiveness

You murderers
Unsheathe your hands
Off this madness
History will judge you harshly
For every life you take away
Records a bounty on your head
The cries of the innocent
Will haunt you to oblivion
It is not late yet
To change your ways

Peace and tranquility
Is a recipe for abundance?
We must collectively fight
To achieve this noble dream
We must rid ourselves
Of those who rob and kill us
For they have stunted our growth

May the souls
Of those who perished
In the hands of others
Solemnize us
We cannot justify
This rot anymore
The time to do something
Is NOW