Elder admits meeting Waiganjo

The Naivasha Agikuyu Council of Elders chairman, Mr Daniel Kigochi, on Wednesday admitted that alleged police impostor Joshua Waiganjo attended one of their meetings in January last year.

Mr Waiganjo had on Tuesday sensationally claimed that senior members of The National Alliance party and a top Rift Valley police officer met him on several occasions and sensitive issues regarding Prime Minister Raila Odinga and his campaigns in the region were discussed.

Mr Waiganjo said the meetings were to strategise on political campaigns and that one of the police vehicles whose colour and registration numbers were changed, was to be used.

He disclosed that on October 19 and 20, last year, he met a senior police officer and Mr Kigochi, who was then the TNA chairman in the district and discussed the campaign issues.

“I am ready to share what we discussed at the Heritage Hotel in Naivasha and the role I was given to play,” said Mr Waiganjo on Tuesday at the Naivasha Law Courts.

But on Wednesday, Mr Kigochi, clarified that the two meetings were organised by the council of elders and not TNA as Mr Waiganjo claimed.

According to Mr Kigochi, the first meeting was held in January last year at one of their members’ house in Kinangop and was attended by other elders.

“Mr Waiganjo attempted to gate-crash our meeting but since he was not a member I personally ordered him out,” said Mr Kigochi.

However, he added, last March, Mr Waiganjo was brought again to another meeting by two other elders who introduced him as a good person, but he never showed up again. This time the meeting was at a Naivasha hotel.

“I again met him in August at the Anti-Stock Theft Unit headquarters in Gilgil where I had gone to supply beer and Mr Waiganjo appeared drunk,” Mr Kigochi, who is a businessman, recalled.

During the time, the said police officer was present but Mr Kigochi explained that they never had any meeting as he was there solely for business.

In the same month, he said he met Mr Waiganjo in full police uniform at a hotel in Naivasha where he was also chauffeur-driven by a corporal. This was just an informal encounter according to the elder.

“I have never met him to plan anything and he must be desperate. He can now mention anyone or someone with authority or money to fight his battles,” the businessman added.

Receiving threats

On Tuesday, Mr Waiganjo claimed he was still receiving threats from senior police officers over the past meetings he held with them.

In an exclusive interview with the Nation, he said he wanted to meet the PM “after his attempts to talk to police boss David Kimaiyo failed”.

He claimed his problems started when he refused to chase away his wife as demanded by the senior police officer.

He alleged that the top officer had prevailed upon him to divorce his wife saying, “she risked leaking some of the sensitive information to other parties as the electioneering period approached”.

“Following the meetings, some money was deposited in my Cooperative Bank account and the police officer should tell Kenyans what this money was meant for,” said Mr Waiganjo.

Though he had earlier stated that he refused to appear before the commission investigating his case since he was not allowed legal representation, Mr Waiganjo on Wednesday said he had met a member of the probe team earlier and considering their discussion, he felt the commission had already formed an opinion about the whole saga. (READ: Waiganjo tells of past ‘sensitive’ discussions)