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Tragedy as woman who lost sons in poll violence dies in Mathare floods

Benna Buluma alias Mama Victor whose body has been retrieved in floodwaters. (Handout)

By Mary Wambui | 24 Apr 2024

Two of her grandchildren are still missing after the Tuesday's heavy downpour.

The overnight rains in Nairobi have brought a double tragedy for the family of Benna Buluma, whose body was recovered from Mathare River following heavy rains on Tuesday night.

Starehe Sub County Police Commander Fred Abuga said that four bodies, including two women and two men, have been retrieved, while six others remain unaccounted for as the search operation continues.

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The heavy rains caused widespread flooding in various parts of the city, with Mathare being the worst hit.

The Kenya Red Cross announced that its Action Team rescued 18 people, including 11 adults and seven children, in Mathare 4A and Mradi areas after they were trapped by floodwaters on Wednesday night.

Buluma, also known as Mama Victor, from Mathare area 4A, dedicated her life to advocating for police accountability. She was scheduled to attend the launch of the Missing Voices annual report at the Heinrich Boll Foundation's offices on Wednesday morning but could not be found.

During the event, Amnesty International Kenya Director Irungu Houghton mentioned that some people were trying to trace her whereabouts, however, the event ended without her making an appearance.

Sadly, her body was later discovered along with two others, including a child.

"It's true her body was retrieved alongside two others. The body of the child is swollen so we could not immediately establish if it's one of her three missing grandchildren," Samuel Kiriro, founder Ghetto Foundation told The Eastleigh Voice.

Heavy rains in Mathare leave a trail of distraction. (Photo: Hanifa Adan)

"Mama Victor," aged 52, was the convener of the Mothers of Victims and Survivors Network, formed to document cases of extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, police brutality, and other police excesses.

Her activism stemmed from the loss of her sons, Victor and Bernard, during the August 9, 2017 post-election protests in Mathare. Her sons, aged 24 and 22, were killed by police bullets while returning home from work.

"My life was torn apart. My sons' lives were taken as if they meant nothing," Mama Victor told Aljazeera two years ago.

Her sons left behind two children who are still missing after the overnight downpour.

In 2018, Mama Victor began openly speaking about her loss and gathered women who had suffered similar fates to join her cause.

This movement led to the formation of a network in 2020 to give voice to women from informal settlements who have lost loved ones to extrajudicial killings.

"I knew that if I didn't speak now then all these mothers who have lost their children will never get justice. If I don't speak, my grandchildren could meet the same fate as Victor and Bernard... They already killed my sons. There was nothing left to fear," Buluma told Aljazeera.

Despite her personal tragedy, Mama Victor courageously fought for justice, knowing that silence would only perpetuate the cycle of violence.

The annual Missing Voices report on alleged extrajudicial killings revealed a slight decrease in victims from 130 in 2022 to 118 in 2023.

President William Ruto vowed to end extrajudicial killings and political assassinations during his administration, promising a safer future for all Kenyans.

"There shall never be another occasion where we have bodies of Kenyans in river Yalla, it shall never happen again. Not under my watch," the president said.