New details about the 2017 murder of Francis Waweru in Murang'a County have revealed a conspiracy between a prolific televangelist, some police and chiefs who conspired to force his widow to take 25 cows as compensation for his death.
The new details have prompted Murang'a County Police Commander Mathiu Kainga to order a full investigation into the incident, with the express motive of reviewing the justice that was subverted.
It is alleged that the Nairobi-based cleric financed the perversion of justice against the widow, while some police officers and administrators destroyed official records of the case at the police station.
How cleric, police and chiefs conspired to pay widow 25 cows for husband’s murder
The deceased was working as a guard at Muti Primary School in Ithanga, Kakuzi Sub county when he was attacked by three youths on a motorcycle on May 15, 2017.
Mr Waweru was rushed to Thika Level Five Hospital in critical condition and died on May 18, 2017.
"My father's motionless body had motorcycle tyre marks on his buttocks, indicating that his killers were cruelly methodical in their approach," she said.
Mary Ng'endo narrates how her father, Francis Waweru was killled at Ithanga in Murang'a County on October 19, 2023. The deceased was allegedly killed in 2017 by people at a local primary school where he was working as a guard.
Photo credit: Joseph Kanyi | Nation Media Group
The new details emerged on October 18 after Mr Kainga ordered that the case be reopened, statements taken and a list compiled of all senior officers who were serving in the area at the time of the incident.
Mr Kainga said he had since received information that the man who presided over the payment of the cows to the widow was a prominent Nairobi-based televangelist.
"It is outrightly absurd...you know, the bottom line is that all murder cases must be presented before court. There is no shortcut about it. This is one time when the church [joined hands] with police and administration to defeat justice," he said.
"It is a great infamy to hear that an area that had security managers played a role in defeating the cause of justice by having the matter settled in a kangaroo court".
He added, "I have given specific orders...the incident was reported to the area police station. I want to know who the head of that station was."
Mr Kainga said he had demanded a trail of the case from the time the person was found attacked, the journey to hospital, the death, what the doctors found in the injuries, the eventual post-mortem report and the activities of the compensation committee and those who sat on it.
"I want to get a fair understanding of how this negligence occurred...It is a bad revelation to be associated with us as County Security Committee...We will get justice back on its course," he said.
Teresia Wanjiku (left) is supported by her daughter Mary Ng'endo as she recounted the last moments with her husband Francis Waweru at Ithanga in Murang'a County on October 19, 2023. The deceased was allegedly killed in 2017 by people at a local primary school where he was working as a guard.
Photo credit: Joseph Kanyi | Nation Media Group
Mr Kainga said, "I have personally assigned the Ithanga Kakuzi Sub county Police Boss Mr Patrick Nyaanga and Gatanga Sub county Police Boss Mr Laurence Njeru the task of righting this grave anomaly."
According to information gathered so far by Kaguku Police Commander Laura David and seen by Nation.africa, the collapse of justice has been systematic.
"When Ngelelya police post officers were notified of the attack, they treated the scene casually [as Mr Waweru was] presumed dead. They allowed a private vehicle to pick him up," the report says.
It adds that three suspects, who identified themselves as Mutinda, Makau and Mulei, presented themselves to Ngelelya police post and confessed to attacking the security guard, but were chased away.
"The post was of the opinion that with no complaint recorded by a victim of their alleged attack, with no medical report to define degree of injuries sustained and with no confirmation of whether their victim had succumbed, it was premature to lock up the three," the preliminary report reads.
It further reveals that the three suspects, fearing mob justice for the attack, went to Kaguku police station and repeated their confession, but were again turned away for a similar reason.
"With no police to arrest them in their voluntary surrender and with the fear of a mob attack, the three who belong to the same family, fled the village," the report says.
When the report of Mr Waweru's death filtered out on May 18, "a police officer called Muli was assigned the case and he attended the post-mortem on May 25, 2017".
Kaguku Police Station is recorded as having launched a manhunt for the suspects for three days – May 19, 20 and 21 – but the suspects were nowhere to be seen.
Teresia Wanjiku recalls the last moments with her husband Francis Waweru at Ithanga in Murang'a County on October 19, 2023. The deceased was allegedly killed in 2017 by people at a local primary school where he was working as a guard.
Photo credit: Joseph Kanyi | Nation Media Group
Mr Waweru was eventually buried on May 26 "and on May 27, the parents of the suspects visited the deceased's family where they met the widow, Ms Teresiah Wanjiku, then aged 54".
The new findings indicate that "the visit focused on possible reconciliation and compensation, with the area chief's representative acting as the facilitator".
The meeting became a precursor for three other sessions in the widow's compound "and on June 14, a Nairobi-based televangelist, who is an uncle to the suspects, offered to quantify the 25 cows the kangaroo court had agreed on".
The cows were quantified at Sh12,000 each where the amount payable was recorded as Sh300,000.
"However, the widow refused to receive the cash, arguing that she could not exchange the life of her husband with 25 cows," the report reads.
But, it adds, "The committee present picked on the family's fourth born, Mr Kimani Waweru, to receive the cash on her behalf."
In her statement at Kaguku Police Station on October 18, Ms Wanjiru said that "the son used the money to build his own house".
She added that she remained optimistic that justice would one day be done for her husband, "and I am happy that Nation Media Group came to my house to inquire about this incident and it has revived my hopes and I thank God for that".
Meanwhile, after the compensation was sealed, documents relating to the attack disappeared from Ngelelya and Kaguku police stations.
"We are now faced with the task of hunting down the OB number about the incident...we are trying to search for official records from the hospital and the mortuary...we are working very hard to assemble an incident file," reads Ms David's letter to her County Police commander.
Mr Kainga said, "It doesn't matter what happened, the file is there simply because the law and police standing orders demand it be there...it is the law".
He said if it is required, the body will be exhumed in search of evidence to build a case against the suspects.
"The case is there. It has a trail. Its footprints are all over and very bold. It is only that some people conspired to subvert the cause of justice. There is a crime of murder here and there is duty negligence by selected officers," Mr Kainga said.
