A permanent Secretary in Kenya's Grand Coalition Government died of gunshot wounds sustained in na car-jacking incident three weeks ago. The senior official, Mr Kinithia Murugu, succumbed to the injuries on Thursday morning at the Nairobi Hospital where he has been undergoing treatment after being shot by gangsters who had attacked him and a female companion on July 19.

Confirming the death, the Kenyan Government spokesman, Dr Alfred Mutua said the Permanent Secretary passed away at 3.35 AM local time (1235GMT). "The Government is sad to announce that PS Kinuthia Murugu succumbed to his injuries and passed away at 3.35am this morning at Nairobi Hospital," Dr Mutua said in a dispatch to the media. Mr Murugu is the seniormost official to be felled by the criminals in a long time.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga and a host of other senior government officials sent messages of condolence to the family.

In Kenya, a Permanent Secretary in any ministry is the one charged with the responsibility of running the ministry, and is ranked third from the president and the Head of Civil Service in the pekking order . A minister plays a little more of a ceremonial role. The PS reports to the Head of Civil Service, and sometimes directly to the president, who is the appointing authority.

Meanwhile, the shooting death of the PS brings to forth the current state of insecurity in the country. What is baffling most socialogists and security experts is the fac5t that the spiralling wave of crime seems to be taking t different turn, with criminal gangs targeting the upper-class citizens of Kenya-most of who live in the leafy high-class estates in Kenya. In fact, Murugu is not the first asenior government official to have a rendezvous with criminal elements.

Last week, Prime Minister Raila Odinga' s private office was broken into. The thieves made away with four computers and a gas cylinder.
The burglars are reported to have broken into the Jaramogi Odinga Foundation offices off Kiambere Road in Nairobi’s Upper Hill. Upper Hill is an area where most of the rich class of citizens own offices. On Sunday,a Deputy minister, Mr William Cheptumo and his family was terrorised by a five-man gang for over 40 minutes at his Nairobi home on
The Baringo North Member of parliament who is also a deputy minister for Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs was in his Rubia Estate house in Lang’ata around 7pm when the five young men stormed in and ordered him, his wife and children to lie on the floor.The gangsters frisked their pockets and robbed them of money and mobile phones and then ransacked the house for money and other valuables.

The gangsters then packed television sets, radios, DVD players and other household items into the assistant minister’s Toyota Prado vehicle and drove away. The vehicle was later found abandoned in the outskirts of Nairobi.

Another MP, Evans Akula of Kwisero in Western Kenya, was also carjacked by what he described as "Boys with Guns". In the incident, the MP was forced to drive a stolen car with its owner locked in the boot. He was roughed up by the gang, who also withdrew money from his account using his ATM. He later told the press that the boys had told him that as long as he and his colleagues will not provide the jobs they promised the youths during the campaigns, they will never stop. He added that the boys had told him that it is not that they love crime. The problem is that they do not have jobs. Mr Akula admitted. "As long as we don't address the issue of joblessness, these criminals will come for us". He added.