Footballer Eric Wafula killed in mob justice incident
Eric Wafula.
What you need to know:
- Football fan Mark Otieno recalled, “He trained football with Mysa… landed a place at New Mathare FC. How he left the club I couldn’t understand, but I later saw him in smaller clubs in Mathare 4A.”
- “He totally disappeared from the pitch. For the rest of the football lovers, life went on,” said Otieno, who remembers Wafula winning several medals for his dedication on the field.
Former New Mathare FC goalkeeper Eric Wafula, popularly known as Jagoal or Norlan, was killed over the weekend in a mob justice incident in Pangani, Nairobi.
Wafula and a friend, who is yet to be identified, were lynched by members of the public moments after allegedly snatching a phone.
The Nation is in possession of an amateur video showing the mob descending on the two using stones and heavy sticks. Both men died on the spot.
At Nairobi Funeral Home (formerly City Mortuary), where police delivered the bodies, the victims were registered as “two unknown male adults.”
“We are saddened by the passing of our former goalkeeper Eric Wafula. Shine on your way Jagoal. Rest in Peace,” FKF New Mathare FC, which features in the Football Kenya Federation National Division Two Eastern Zone, said in a statement.
Wafula was widely praised for his goalkeeping talent, once considered among the best at New Mathare FC.
“The fame that came with his talent saved his life on several occasions,” said an officer at John Saga Police Station, adding, “All I can say is he was a talented goalkeeper… It is sad that his life was to end in such a manner.”
He was previously rescued from mob justice in Kariobangi after allegedly stealing a phone. Plainclothes officers intervened to save him.
Friends and neighbours from Mathare and Huruma described Wafula as a grounded individual who could have succeeded in sports had he focused.
Abraham Barasa, a long-time family friend, said, “I can tell you the mother loved him so much. I’m sure wherever she is, she must be in so much pain.”
Wafula studied at King Barrack High School. During holidays, his mother, a tailor in Mathare Mabatini, trained him in the trade.
“She did all she could to give him a better life,” said Barasa. After high school, she even bought him a motorbike on loan to help him earn a living.
Football fan Mark Otieno recalled, “He trained football with Mysa… landed a place at New Mathare FC. How he left the club I couldn’t understand, but I later saw him in smaller clubs in Mathare 4A.”
“He totally disappeared from the pitch. For the rest of the football lovers, life went on,” said Otieno, who remembers Wafula winning several medals for his dedication on the field.