Witness: We plotted to kill Saboti MP

By Osinde Obare

Saboti MP Eugene Wamalwa was a target for assassination to cover up fraud in the Constituency Development Fund, a court was told.

A former Saboti CDF official, who is on the run, allegedly plotted to have Eugene eliminated to stop him from pursuing the loss of over Sh200 million from the CDF kitty.

The revelation was contained in a police video footage of a confession by a murder suspect, Nashon Omondi, who is charged with the murder of another CDF official.

Omondi and Kevin Barasa are accused of killing Saboti CDF account manager Joshua Orina, who was to blow the whistle on misappropriation of the funds. A detective, Sylvester Mwariko, played the 40-minute clip in court detailing Eugene’s assassination scheme and Orina’s murder.

In the footage, which was watched by presiding judge Lady Justice Stella Muketi, Omondi told police that a former CDF treasurer had planned the execution of Eugene.

The treasurer accused of killing Orina has been on the run since 2008 after police arrested his accomplices.

Orina’s body was discovered decomposing at Nzoia Sugar Company’s nuclear plant in Bungoma County.

Orina was allegedly abducted by the treasurer, assisted by Omondi and Barasa, behind Kitale Law Courts and driven to Bungoma where he was killed. His body was discovered two weeks later after police used CCTV images from an ATM to arrest the abductors, Omondi and Barasa, who have since been charged with the murder. In his confession, Omondi said at the sugarcane plantation, the CDF treasurer armed with a pistol sprayed Orina with bullets on the head before they abandoned his body. Before the shooting, he added, the trio confiscated Orina’s ATM cards and forced him to reveal the pin number to which he obliged.

Using Orina’s card, the treasurer withdrew Sh30,000 from Equity Bank and booked for Omondi and Barasa a room in a lodging.

The two used the same ATM card the following day to withdraw money at Equity Bank in Kitale before Orina’s family alerted the police over the unusual withdrawal.

Assassination

Police retrieved the images at the ATM and arrested Omondi and Barasa in Kitale. After interrogations, they led officers to the scene of the killing.

The treasurer, however, managed to escape and has evaded arrest since. "The treasurer had planned to have Eugene killed because he was in the forefront of pursuing the theft of CDF money. He was scared that since Eugene had been elected MP, he would use the position to push for his prosecution," Omondi narrated.

The planned assassination was to be executed during the tallying of the votes at Kitale Museum Hall.

During the last General Election, the treasurer contested the Saboti seat on a New Ford-Kenya ticket and emerged third. Omondi told police that they were offered Sh1,000 for airtime by the treasurer and later Sh20,000 for the execution of Orina.

"The first target was for us to kill Eugene but he (treasurer) changed his mind and decided that we go for Orina. The next target aborted when we were arrested," added the video, also watched by Omondi and Barasa who looked composed.