"He didn't have to die." A widow’s cry for justice echoes across Nyeri as footage reveals the chilling final moments of businessman George Matheri.

It was 11:00 PM at the Rubis Petrol Station in Karatina. The town was winding down, but for George Gathu Matheri, a 40-year-old businessman and owner of Tfalls Carwash, time was running out. Minutes later, he would be dead, four bullets in his body, fired by the very officer sworn to protect him.

The killing has sparked fury in Mathira, with residents barricading the Nairobi-Nyeri highway. But it is the release of the CCTV footage that has turned this from a local tragedy into a national scandal. The video contradicts the police narrative of "self-defense," showing a brutal, one-sided assault.

The Footage That Lies Can’t Erase

The grainy video shows Constable Peter Mwangi and a colleague confronting Matheri. The argument escalates. The officers rain kicks and blows on the unarmed man. A civilian attempts to intervene, acting as a human shield, but is shoved aside. Matheri tries to walk away—a clear sign of de-escalation. Instead of letting him go, the officers pursue him.

Then, the flash of a muzzle. Once. Twice. Four times. Matheri collapses. The execution is complete.

• The Widow’s Pain: Ann Gathu, tearful and trembling, described the horror of viewing her husband’s body. "He was a young employer. He had dreams. They treated him like a terrorist," she sobbed.
• The IPOA Probe: The Independent Policing Oversight Authority has arrested the constable, but the community is skeptical. "We want a court date, not just a press release," said John Matheri, the deceased’s father.
• The Pattern: This adds to a grim statistic of extrajudicial killings in Kenya. The trigger-happy culture within the National Police Service remains an open wound that refuses to heal.

Justice on Trial

George Matheri was not a criminal; he was a pillar of the Karatina economy. His death is a stark reminder that in Kenya, a badge is often a license to kill. As the family prepares for a funeral they never planned, the eyes of the nation are on the ODPP. Will Peter Mwangi face the full force of the law, or will this file gather dust like so many others? Karatina is watching.