Investigator claims 'witness' was not at scene

By Wahome Thuku

A private investigator hired by one of the suspects in the murder case of former assistant minister Patrick Muiruri's son has tabled his report in court.

The detective hired by Mr Alex Chepkonga told the court yesterday how he traced a flower vendor who claims to have witnessed the January 24, 2009 shooting in Westlands, Nairobi.

Chepkonga and his friend, Police Inspector Dickson Munene, are charged with the murder of James Ng’ang’a Kariuki.

Ng’ang’a was shot dead following a bar brawl at an entertainment spot in Westlands.

The deceased had been drinking in the company of his brother Mr John Gachara and Ms Jedidah Okudo.

Mr Charles Njuguna Mbugua of Arcane Insurance Investigators was instructed by Chepkonga’s lawyer, Philip Murgor, to establish whether Mr Eliud Kimani was at the shooting scene.

Kimani had told the court he helped Gachara and Okudo to put Ng’ang’a in their vehicle after the incident.

On Monday, the investigator said he tracked Kimani to his Gaturi village in Murang’a District. He said Kimani claimed he sold flowers in Kangemi but had left the area under unclear circumstances.

Njuguna said Kimani informed him he volunteered information at Parklands Police Station when he learned that police were looking for a witness.

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The investigator claims he also interviewed other flower vendors in Westlands who denied knowledge of Kimani and could not identify his picture. "After interviewing them, I concluded that Kimani was not at the scene during the incident," he told the court.

Njuguna said the distance from the club on Woodvale Grove Road to the scene of the shooting on Ring Road was 359m. "Driving at 30 to 40km/h one would take just about 32 to 40 seconds on the stretch," he told trial judge Mohamed Warsame.

He produced a sketch map, photographs of the streets and the club premises and a report on his findings.

Njuguna said he chose to drive on a Saturday morning being the time and day that the shooting occurred.

On his part, Inspector Munene said the deceased resisted arrest prompting the shooting.

After the shooting, Munene called the Nairobi Area Police control room to report the incident.

Police Inspector Hudson Wafula, who received the call on January 24, 2009, said Munene told him there had been a scuffle at Westlands and that someone had been shot dead. Lawyers were to make final submissions later on Monday.