Willie Kimani murder: Court told why bags, Maasai shuka are vital to the case
Fredrick Leliman (left) and Stephen Cheburet Morogo their lawyer Cliff Ombeta (right) in court on September 7, 2021. They are among five suspects charged with the murder of human rights lawyer Willie Kimani and two others.
Carrier bags bearing Mulei Supermarket label and a red Maasai shuka were recovered from the house of a police officer charged alongside three others with the murder of rights lawyer Willie Kimani, his client and taxi driver, a judge has been told.
Chief Inspector Clement Mwangi, a homicide detective attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), who investigated the heinous murders of Willie Kimani, Josephat Mwenda and Joseph Muiruri, told Justice Jessie Lesiit that the items were recovered from the house of Sergeant Leonard Mwangi.
Asked by State Prosecutor Nicholas Mutuku why the paper bags and the Maasai shuka were important in the case, Mr Mwangi said that the heads of the three victims were covered with Mulei Supermarket’s plastic paper bags when they were recovered from River Athi near Ol Donyo Sabuk in Machakos County a week after the victims were reported missing.
About the Maasai shuka, Mr Mwangi said it fitted the description by a police officer, Mr Paul Mitambo, who confronted some men at the scene of murder on the night of June 23, 2016.
Covered his head
Interviewed by the team of officers from the DCI, Police Constable Mitambo, attached to the Athi River Weigh Bridge, said one of the officers had covered his head with a red Maasai shuka and had a police radio.
“Did the men disclose to PC Mitambo whom they were?” Mr Mutuku asked Mr Mwangi.
“They told PC Mutambo they were police officers on ambush duties within Soweto areas of Mlolongo, Machakos County,” Mwangi replied.
The witness said PC Mitambo had been informed of the presence of motor vehicles and people in Soweto by his landlady, Ms Agnes Wayua.
Mr Mitambo proceeded to the scene and when he informed the men that he was a police officer, they said they were officers on ambush duties. He then returned to his house.
Searched houses
Mr Mwangi told Justice Lesiit that besides Sgt Leonard Mwangi, they also interviewed and searched the houses of two other police officers, Wilson Kamau Juma and Charles Waweru, who were members of SPIV, a police sector at Mlolongo Police Station that was headed by Inspector Fredrick Leliman, whose members used to conduct patrols in civilian clothes either on foot or driving a civilian vehicle.
The judge heard that members of the Mlolongo SPIV were Leliman, Leonard, Wilson and Charles.
The investigating officer said that they did not recover anything of evidential value from the houses of Wilson and Charles in regard to the case he was investigating, that of the disappearance of the three.
“I took away the police radio from Leonard for verification and examination at the Integrated Command Centre (ICC) to scoop information on its movement on June 23, 2016,” Insp Mwangi said.
The investigator said his team also interviewed Corporal Philemon Muita who was in charge of Syokimau Administration Police Camp.
On June 23, 2016 at 12pm he left Syokimau for Mlolongo where he was to be the duty officer, then handed over to Stephen Cheburet Morogo.
When interviewed at the DCI, Mr Morogo denied that he received any suspects for holding at the AP camp on June 23, 2016.
Notorious crime scene
At Soweto, the officer said the grass was disturbed and they carried out a forensic investigation to establish the course of deaths.
The court heard that the area where the three were killed was a notorious crime scene.
Insp Mwangi said they swung into action after receiving a report of three missing persons.
He added that Leliman, who was heading the Mlolongo SPIV, was summoned to the DCI, together with Morogo, who was in charge of Syokimau, and Sylvia Wanjiku Wanjohi who had the keys to the AP cell.
The officer said after interrogating the three, they were not satisfied that they knew nothing about the disappearances of Kimani, Mwenda and Muiruri.
“We disarmed Leliman, took away his police radio and two mobile phones,” Insp Mwangi said.
“I will return all the mobile phones taken away from Leliman, Cheburet, Leonard and Sylvia as we found nothing of value to this case from their phones,” the judge heard.
Insp Mwangi was testifying in the case where Leliman, Cheburet, Sylvia and Leonard are charged together with a former police informer Peter Ngugi with murdering lawyer Kimani, Mwenda and Muiruri on the night of June 23-24, 2016 at Soweto in Mlolongo, Machakos County.
All the four have denied murdering the three.
Hearing continues.
