House committee to investigate Juja MP abduction as police deny role

Juja MP George Koimburi. [File, Standard] National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula has directed the Administration and Internal Security Committee to look into the matter of Juja Member of Parliament George Koimburi and present a comprehensive report to the House. The Committee is chaired by Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo. "I have instructed the internal security chair to liaise with the Inspector General and other security agencies, including the Cabinet Secretary for Interior, to obtain a preliminary report that can be tabled before the House," said Wetang'ula. Earlier, while presenting a preliminary report to the committee Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja said officers in Juja visited the location where the MP was reportedly found and documented the scene. "Upon comparing the vegetation and road dimensions at the scene with those in the video, it was established that the two did not match," Kanja told the committee. He added that during questioning, Moses Kariuki, the caretaker of the coffee farm-owned by businessman Jimmy Wanjigi-where the MP was allegedly found, claimed he had not witnessed any such incident. Kanja said the officers subsequently visited Plainview Hospital in Ruiru, where the MP had reportedly been taken for treatment. "They confirmed that the vehicle used to transport him, registration number KCJ 660P, belongs to Koimburi and was driven by Frida Njeri, who was also the first responder at the alleged crime scene," he noted. Kanja said Koimburi is under investigation in connection with a land fraud case and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions had already given consent for his prosecution. In a statement to the media, the National Police Service (NPS) distanced itself from claims that it abducted the MP, stating that investigations are underway to determine the circumstances under which the lawmaker was allegedly seized and later found abandoned in a coffee plantation. On Monday, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua had alleged that Koimburi had been picked up by undercover officers after attending a church service in Mugutha, and that his wife was thrown out of the vehicle as she tried to intervene. Gachagua said the MP was tortured, made to inhale harmful chemicals, and left in a critical condition. "He was badly beaten and in very serious condition. Doctors have confirmed he was tortured by professionals. He has very serious soft tissue injuries and has lost his voice," Gachagua said after visiting the MP in hospital. IG Kanja did not directly address the allegations, but stated that attempts by investigators to access the MP for a statement had been blocked by his family. "To date, the investigating team has interviewed and recorded statements from five individuals, with several more expected to provide their accounts and particularly Hon George Koimburi, whom we shall interview at the earliest opportunity after his family objected to our attempts to reach him," said Kanja. "On Friday, the MP, fully aware of the police's intention to arrest him, evaded arrest by escaping on a motorcycle with his private security and switched off his mobile phone. His car, occupied only by his driver, was intercepted, and the driver was arrested but later released after recording a statement. The MP only resurfaced yesterday, coinciding with the abduction claims," said Kanja.

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House committee to investigate Juja MP abduction as police deny role

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