Pastor summoned again by police and quizzed for hours over fatal crash

Controversial TV preacher James Ng’ang’a was Thursday questioned for more than four hours over the road accident that caused the death of a woman two weeks ago.

The Neno Evangelism pastor was questioned by prosecutors from the Director of Public Prosecutions' office and officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.

Pastor Ng’ang’a drove into the Traffic Police headquarters in Ruaraka, Nairobi, in a Mercedes Benz with tinted windows.

He has denied driving the Range Rover that collided with a Nissan in Tigoni, Kiambu, on July 27.

It was the second day that the pastor was being questioned. He had been summoned and questioned in the same place on Wednesday.

The interrogation came after fresh details came to light, some unearthed by the media, about the accident in which he has denied being involved.

The pastor is alleged to have been involved in a crash in Tigoni on July 27 where a woman was killed and her husband seriously injured.

He was summoned to the headquarters by the detectives.

The pastor arrived at the headquarters at around 1pm and left shortly after 5pm in a grey Mercedes Benz without talking to the media.

Officers from the traffic department are expected to forward their findings to the police inspector-general.

SUBSTITUTE CHARGES

The State intends to withdraw charges against Mr Simon Kuria, who was charged in connection with the fatal road crash.

Mr Kuria had been charged with causing death by dangerous driving and sources privy to the investigation said it would be substituted with two others — conspiracy to defeat justice and giving false information.

The source said Pastor Ng’ang’a would be charged in his place with at least three traffic offences — causing death by dangerous driving, failing to report an accident, and driving a vehicle without valid insurance.

He said the State was building a “water-tight” case around the testimonies of three witnesses, who told police that they arrived at the scene shortly after the crash and saw the pastor.

One of them told the investigators that he even talked to him.

Investigators would also rely on mobile phone technology and other forensic analysis to back claims that Pastor Ng’ang’a was driving the Range Rover.

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority on Wednesday threatened to take over investigations against police officers who handled the accident case.

The civilian oversight body will, however, move in if Inspector-General of Police Joseph Boinnet does not act “satisfactorily” against officers found to have broken the law, according to its chairman, Macharia Njeru.

“Our investigations are independent and we have a history of doing things the right way.

"Action must be taken against officers found culpable,” Mr Njeru said.

Mr Boinnet has already been given the report of the investigations detailing how each of the seven police officers was involved in the cover-up.

ESCORTED BY POLICE

The Nation also revealed that Pastor Ng’ang’a was even being illegally escorted by senior police officers during his trips outside Nairobi.

The report was compiled by the director of the Internal Affairs Unit, Mr Leo Nyongesa, who is an assistant inspector-general of police.

Kenyans have been angered by the reports that the pastor could have caused the crash that led to the death of Ms Mercy Njeri in Tigoni, Kiambu, nearly two weeks ago and then went ahead to try to cover it up.

Ms Njeri was buried on Tuesday in Kiambu.

Her husband was in the same car with her when the crash happened and is nursing injuries.

So far, at least 11 witnesses have been interrogated over the crash and several exhibits collected.

Phones belonging to three officers were also confiscated.

The data obtained from the phones provided crucial information regarding what transpired before and shortly after the accident.