Two human rights activists reporting to the United Nations on death squads in the police force were murdered in broad daylight on March 5 in downtown Nairobi, Kenya. As the police begin to investigate, many people believe that the police should be suspects themselves. On that Thursday evening, Oscar King’ara and John Paul Oulu were stuck in rush hour traffic outside of the University of Nairobi. Eyewitness reports say that two men in suits approached their car from either side, and shot them point blank, before leaving without a chase.

“Three (gunshots) at a time, a break of 30 seconds, some three more and a break of 30 seconds. It was scary,” said Mark Musa, a student who heard the shots from his dorm room on campus, during an interview with NPR.

King’ara and Oulu had both done work for the U.N. in order to further investigate claims of police brutality and killing in the form of death squads.

While neither had made claims towards having finished research, they did speak to journalists earlier this month about their findings at that time. The verdict was becoming clearer by the day – the death squads are a serious issue.

The police force in Nairobi has largely denied any accusations, but the evidence in the case is doing them no favors. The night before his murder, King’ara made an appearance on national television to discuss reports that a well-known government minister was involved in killings by the police force.

The minister was also allegedly connected to disappearances that have been linked to a threatening criminal syndicate known as the Mungiki, or the Kenyan mafia. Shortly thereafter, the minister made his rebuttal and accused King’ara of being in league with the Mungiki.

The killings have even sparked threats against other human rights activists. Many have received text messages that keep them looking over their shoulder. One has been reported according to NPR as saying, “Young fellow, if we spot you in the streets, count yourself dead. We have details of you and your friends. Our arm is very long.”

As a result, there is outrage in the hearts of many college students of Kenya this week. Protests that devolved into riots have shaken the area every week since the assassinations. Though they started peacefully, the majority continues to end in violence. Police and reporters were pelted with sticks wielded by the angered youth of the area.

The case has gathered global attention and the U.N. has launched an investigation of its own. But perhaps the patchwork of guilt, anger, and protest has been best summarized by poet Beatrice Kamau in her tribute to King’ara and Oulu, “They may have tried to silence you, / but now you are shouting louder than ever.