For Charles Mwita, the ache of losing his son has not faded with the passing months.
Long after his Grade 8 son, Samuel Marwa, was allegedly shot dead during a clash tied to a drawn-out land dispute in Gairoro village, Charles says he is still caught between sorrow, rage and a string of unanswered questions.
Samuel attended Kwiho Junior Secondary School and was a promising athlete whose path, his father insists, was already taking form through school events and regional competitions.
Instead, that life ended suddenly on a one Sunday morning in July.
Charles was working far away in Lolgorian when the call came.
“I was working in Lolgorian when I received the devastating news. I was told there was a terrible incident at home, a murder. The caller told me my son, a Grade 8 student, had been killed. I didn’t hesitate. I left immediately and came straight home,” he recalls.
By the time he reached Gairoro, neighbours were already piecing together what had taken place.
Charles says his son had gone to the family farm that morning simply to help harvest maize, with no idea that a confrontation over the land was about to erupt. According to his account, a group of local people arrived accompanied by police officers and claimed the land belonged to them.
Charles says the children harvesting maize had no knowledge of any dispute over the property.
“When the kids were harvesting, nobody knew there was any dispute over that land. They even saw a tractor working nearby. Everyone was just minding their own business.”
Then, he says, the scene turned chaotic. Charles alleges that police officers arrived in a vehicle and opened fire with live rounds, forcing the children to flee in panic.
“The sound of sudden, rapid gunfire and panic made the children scatter, screaming in terror and running for their lives. Unfortunately, my son was hit from behind.”
Charles says the bullet struck Samuel in the back of the neck and exited through his mouth.
He believes his son’s death was the tragic result of a land conflict that had been left to simmer for years.
“The land belongs to us. We’ve farmed it for generations. Our grandparents lived and died on that land. But land grabbers with money are trying to push us out using force because they think we are weak.”
The claims about ownership of the disputed land and the exact circumstances of Samuel’s death remain contested and must be resolved through proper investigation and the courts.
For Charles, the pressing issue right now is accountability. He says local residents helped point out people they believe were involved, and that human rights officials, county representatives and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) later visited the family.
Yet he insists the family has seen little that looks like real progress.
“However, nothing visible has been done since. The suspects are walking free right here in our community.”
Charles named two individuals he alleges were involved: local chief Mwita Mukono from Mashangwe and teacher Chacha Katumani from Sironga.
Those allegations must be treated as claims only until an independent investigation or court process establishes the facts. For the grieving father, the lack of visible action has only sharpened his frustration.
“If there were real justice, I would see results. Even though it won’t bring my son back, at least there would be accountability so this reckless killing doesn’t keep happening every day.”
Future cut short
Beyond the details of how he died, Charles mourns the life his son never got to live.
Samuel was more than a schoolboy. His father describes him as a gifted athlete who had already started making his mark in school and regional competitions.
He carried dreams, talent and a future his family expected to see unfold. Those dreams ended on the farm.
“Ever since my boy was killed, I’ve been lost. He was my hope. He was a top athlete, competing in school and regional sports. Now, I have nothing left. I’m just sitting here, empty, seeing no path forward.”
For Charles, Samuel’s death is more than the loss of a child. He says it is the loss of a young life swept up in a conflict that should never have turned violent.
The father now wants the authorities to establish exactly what happened, assign individual responsibility and ensure that his son’s death does not become yet another unresolved case.
As the family continues to grieve, the question that haunts Charles remains painfully clear: how did a child who left home to harvest maize return only as a body?
And why, he asks, should a dispute over land have cost his son his life?
