The slain Embu businessman Dennis Mbae Mutegi was a millionaire who lived a secret, luxurious life. He kept to himself and even his colleagues found it hard to understand him.
In his short life on earth, the forty-year-old tycoon was loved and hated in equal measure.
Within business circles, his colleagues avoided him like a plague and few wanted to be associated with him. The other traders did not even invite him to meetings convened to discuss business matters.
"When we heard that he was linked to criminal activities ranging from drug trafficking to handling stolen goods, we kept away from him," former Embu Kenya National Chambers of Commerce chairman Maina Kanyi said.
However, among the youth and family members, the late Mutegi , commonly known as mbuyu (tycoon), was a philanthropist whose death will remain etched in their minds forever.
He created employment for more than 200 young people and paid school fees for children from poor backgrounds. He also came to the rescue of patients with outstanding medical bills.
And when news of his death spread, scores of his beneficiaries rushed to the mortuary and, upon seeing his lifeless body, wept uncontrollably and they had to be assisted away by sympathisers.
"Mbuyu was a father to us. He offered jobs to the young people and bought motorcycles for the youth and educated children from poor families. He used to feed the hungry in slums and his death is a great loss to many people who were dependent on him for survival," one of his employees, Abdallah Ali, recalled.
"When we learnt of his death we were shocked," said Mr Patrick Gitonga, a younger brother of the businessman.
Mr Gitonga described him as a hardworking person who lived a quiet life before he was killed in cold-blood.
"My brother owned a series of businesses ranging from transport, bars, hardware shops and farming, and he was likely eliminated due to business rivalry," he said.
He dismissed as falsehoods that Mutegi was a drug baron who was on detectives’ list of notorious criminals.
"If my brother was a criminal, he would have been in jail. He has not been convicted of any crime and we would like to know who snuffed out his life," said Mr Gitonga.
The car that Mr Mutegi was driving when he was sprayed with bullets by unknown assailants.
Photo credit: Pool | Nation Media Group
In the lead-up to his mysterious death, on June 8, Mr Mutegi had not expressed fears over his life.
"In fact, a day before my brother was shot dead, I was with him and he even promised to take me to a Nairobi hospital for medical check after my hand broke during an accident. He was jovial as we chatted and he never complained of anything. Moments later, he left but I was shocked to hear that he was no more," added Mr Gitonga.
Mr Gitonga vividly recollected that Mr Mutegi, the first born in a family of four, grew up an ambitious person who wanted to be rich and live a better life.
"He could do any job he landed on and that is how he succeeded. And when our parents died, he took care of us. My brother was a good and intelligent man despite his little education," said Mr Gitonga.
Mr Mutegi's parents, the late Ziporah Chiambuva and the late Joseph Mutua, hailed from Chuka in Tharaka Nithi County but relocated to Embu in the 1980s.
"Our parents were from Chuka but moved to Embu in search of greener pastures. We were all born and brought up in Embu which we now take as our home county," added Mr Gitonga.
Another family member, Ms Annjoy Bundi, a cousin, said that Mr Mutegi’s death took her by surprise.
"Mutegi used to pay school fees for me at the university because my parents are poor. He was a generous man and I don't know what I will do now that he's gone," said Ms Bundi, a third year university student.
Born in 1982 in Embu town, Mr Mutegi dropped out of school while he was in Class Seven and started working as a casual labourer in town.
"My brother was one class ahead of me. One day he came to my class and handed his school bag and told me he was fed up with learning. He then left and that was the end of his education," explained Mr Gitonga who manages the late Mutegi's three bars in Embu town.
After quitting school, Mr Mutegi ventured into business, which involved hawking of various goods in the urban centre.
However, his meteoric rise to prominence within a short time left traders in the area baffled.
As Mr Mutegi's business empire grew, he avoided people and it was hard to know where he spent his nights.
Despite his aloofness, he was over ambitious. In 2017, he contested the Kirimari ward representative’s seat on Maendeleo Chap Chap ticket but he lost during nominations to Mr Morris Muchiri.
Business people said Mr Mutegi had many wives in different parts of the country whom he spent his wealth with.
“He drove sleek cars and it was difficult to see him during the day. He was not a social person and we could not know what other businesses he carried out," another trader said.
However, the family said they knew that Mr Mutegi was married to two wives who had fled their matrimonial home following a domestic quarrel.
"My brother was living alone with his children as his two wives were not currently at home. He also had several other women with children but I don't want to disclose the number," said Mr Gitonga.
