A city man has jumped to the defense of his brother over the alleged murder of a tenant in Kawangware, Nairobi.

Initial reports indicated that Charles Ng’ang’a Gitau stabbed his tenant, 26-year-old Warren Jirongo, over rent arrears amounting to Ksh 2,500. The Tuesday incident sparked protests that saw the landlord’s semi-permanent rental units set ablaze the following day.

On Thursday, Dagoretti Sub-County Police Commander George Seda said they were still looking for the landlord.

Meanwhile, the landlord’s brother, John Waweru, gave a different account of events leading to Jirongo’s death.

“Warren lived in my sister’s house and my brother found him stealing the old version token kits in one of the houses. When my brother saw this, he raised an alarm.

“When asked why he was stealing the token kits, an argument ensued (On Sunday). On Monday, my brother asked him to return the stolen kits and that’s when the fight between the two parties started,” Waweru told Kenyans.co.ke.

He said some of the tenants joined in the fracas and beat up Jirongo before locking him inside his house.

Warren Jirongo who was allegedly killed by his landlord over Sh2500 Rent arrears

“By mistake, they hit his head and locked him in his house. On Tuesday, the tenants got worried and went to his house, only to find him dead.

“The tenants started claiming that my brother was responsible for his death,” Waweru recounted.

“These houses were left to us by our parents when they died. We do not have anywhere to live now,” he lamented.

He confirmed that his brother fled after the incident and could not be traced.