Tony Ogunda’s wife questioned by police

By Cyrus Ombati

NAIROBI, KENYA: Tony Ogunda’s wife was on Tuesday grilled over his death at the house of former minister Raphael Tuju in Upper Hill area, Nairobi.

 Ms Esther Okumu was summoned to Kilimani police station where she spent two hours with detectives before leaving.

 Police said they are almost through with the probe into the incident in which Ogunda, 24, the man accused of being a lover to Tuju’s wife Ruth Akinyi, was found dead in the house last week.

 Ms Okumu arrived at the station at about 10 am and told police she had not seen Ogunda for weeks before she received the news of his death.

 She left the station as Kilimani head of CID George Ojuka said they are still progressing with the case and they intend to close the file by Thursday.

 “We will summon all those who may know anything on Ogunda and so far we are doing well,” he said.

The late Ogunda had been named in a divorce petition filed by Tuju, who is seeking to legally end his 27-year marriage to Akinyi, with whom the former presidential aspirant has three children.

 In the divorce case, Mr Tuju accuses his wife Ruth of cheating with the GSU officer who was attached to his home.

 Ms Okumu who had a child with Ogunda faced police a day after Tuju was also grilled over the incident.

 A visibly emotional Tuju walked out of the interview room on Monday and informed journalist he knew Ogunda and it was unfortunate he had died in his premises.

 “I told the officers I knew Ogunda because he had three cases against me, two criminal and one marital. It is unfortunate he died in one of my premises,” said Tuju.

 He added he told police he knew his nephew Cosmas Okoth who is being held by police over the death and that he is the one who has been educating him.

 Tuju said Okoth lived in his premises with his permission and that his daughters were devastated over the death. He added there was an order barring him from accessing his premises.

 “There is no speculation at all at this moment but we hope the truth will be known,” he said as he fought back tears.

Police have so far taken statements from 13 people including Tuju’s wife Ruth Akinyi, her sister Sabina, his son Mano, a girlfriend to Okoth identified as Tabitha Wangare and the deceased’s friends.

Sabina is said to have told police in her statements that she had been informed by Okoth, that he (Okoth) was not happy with the deceased because he was responsible for failure by his aunt (Ruth) to give him money as she used to.

 Police visited the offices of the Mr Mano Tuju, 26 who is a pilot in Nairobi and took his statements at the weekend as part of investigations into the death of Ogunda.

 This was because other witnesses who have recorded statements said he had been drinking with deceased and other friends in the past weeks before the incident happened.

 Okoth who was with Ogunda, 24 before he died was Friday presented before court.

 But police not prefer murder charge against him saying the investigations were still incomplete.

 They asked for seven days to complete investigations, which would determine whether or not to charge him.