Leaders now differ on how to nail down Jacob Juma killers

Family members and other mourners watch in grief as the casket bearing the remains of the late Jacob Juma is lowered to rest at Mungore village in Bumula, Bungoma County on May 14, 2016. BY BENJAMIN SAKWA

Leaders at the burial of slain businessman Jacob Juma differed on how the puzzle surrounding his killing could be solved.

CORD leader Raila Odinga rubbished suggestions that the Kenya police can solve Juma's murder, saying the law enforcers were key suspects.

"He (Juma) knew a lot. That is why he was being hunted like an antelope. I named eight Mungiki adherents killed in a similar way and (ICC witness) Meshack Yebei. These people were killed by the Kwekwe squad," said Raila.

"We can only resolve all such deaths if and when Parliament adopts the TJRC report."

Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi rejected suggestions that Britain's Scotland Yard or America's FBI be invited to probe the May 5 killing.

Instead, Mudavai asked MPs to move a motion to form a select parliamentary committee to investigate the killing.

"For foreign security agents to work in the country, they have to get the blessings of the government of the day, which has already shown lack of commitment in tracing the murderers," he said.

CORD co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka said Juma's family was better off with a private investigator.

"Jubilee government killed Juma. Kenya is criminally corrupt and Juma knew a lot of things," said Kalonzo.

Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang'ula vowed that Juma's blood was not spilled in vain.

"We shall pursue the matter of his death through all constitutionally allowed ways," he said, reading one of Juma's tweets.

But retired Bishop Josiah Were, who led the burial service, asked Kenyans to stop speculating on who killed Juma and give investigators time to do their work.

Juma's cousin and National council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK)'s Kakamega Chair Beneah Salalah wants the businessman's killers to confess.

"The only way to bring a closure to this is by Juma's killers to publicly confess. We also ask government not to trivialise Juma's death," said Salalah, who is bishop for Mumias ACK dioceses.

MPs Alfred Agoi (Sabatia), Michael Onyura (Butula), Florence Mutua (Busia), Oburu Odinga (Nominated) and Kwale Senator Juma Boy Juma Boy called for an inquest into the killing.