Three more held as probe into city lawyer's murder takes shape

Police are holding three neighbours in connection with the murder of city lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu.

George Wainaina, Paul Mbugua and Eric Muhia are being held in separate police stations in Nairobi as pressure mounts on the police to reveal the killers.

The three, all friends and neighbours of Mbobu in Nairobi's Karen estate, were arrested on Thursday.

Wainaina and his nephew Mbugua were arrested from his Karen home where police also confiscated Sh50 million in cash.

It emerged that all the three and the late Mbobu were at Sagret Hotel on Tuesday for lunch meetings.

Muhia had a planned meeting with Mbobu while Wainaina was meeting Mbugua for lunch at the hotel.

Speaking to The Saturday Standard on Friday, Wainaina said he met Mbobu briefly at the hotel's parking lot while latter was on his way out.

After the lawyer left, Muhia joined Wainaina and Mbugua for talks.

Wainaina, a city politician, pleaded his innocence, decrying the unfair treatment the police had subjected him and his nephew to.

"I was at Sagret (hotel). I had a business meeting there and had lunch. My nephew Mbugua was with me. When we finished eating, I saw wakili (Mbobu) and my friend, Eric Muhia walking out. That is when they passed by my table and said hi to me," said Wainaina.

He said Muhia is a friend and they both hail from the same village so they can't ignore each other whenever they meet in a public place.

"I could not refuse to greet them. The greeting lasted less than two minutes. Now, based on the brief encounter captured by CCTV, police are saying I am a person of interest," Wainaina added.

He said the fact that he is a gun holder has also contributed to the perception by police linking him to the crime.

"I am a licensed gun holder. The police confiscated the gun and took it for ballistic tests. Meanwhile, I am being held in a police cell, an innocent man, for a crime I did not commit," lamented Wainaina.

Mbobu was shot eight times. Police collected three spent cartridges from the scene of the murder along Magadi Road, while two bullet heads were removed from the slain lawyer’s body during post mortem.

Wainaina said he was shocked by the fact that Muhia, who is a close friend and a neighbour of Mbobu, was also arrested and police are accusing him of the crime.

"Muhia's house is near Mbobu's. The two gentlemen even go for exercise, walking together to keep fit, three times a week. They met for lunch. They had an appointment and picked Sagret as their venue for a lunch meeting. Now based on that, police have also held him. It is so sad."

According to the politician, Muhia was the first one to be arrested after police triangulated his phone.

From the CCTV footage from the hotel, Muhia was asked to identify the people that came into contact with the late lawyer and that is how Mbugua, and Wainaina found themselves as persons of interest in the murder.

About the Sh50 million, Wainaina says it is true he had the money, but it is from a credit firm for business purposes.

“I am a businessman. I had taken the money from Nobel, a finance firm. The police have taken it and Nobel will handle it. It was money for business,” says Wainaina.

His lawyer Maulid Musa said police were yet to tell him whether his client was being held in connection with the assassination adding that they were processing the money that was found in his possession.

“There is no law in this country that prohibits someone from holding any amount of money as long as it is legitimate money,” said Musa.

Wainaina says it is in the best interest of the country and the family to find the killer, but justice has to be done, not only seen to be done.

"The police are busy following us. But the real killers are still out there. My nephew is a young man. He doesn't even know Mbobu. He just happened to be with me. Now he is in a cell.”

The politician says that the police are under pressure to arrest the killers and they have started by arresting people who were seen with the late lawyer.

“Sagret is a big hotel with many clients. Will they come after everyone who was in Sagret on that particular day? This is very unfair. I hope the police find the real killers the way they found who killed the late Ong’ondo Were (Kasipul MP)," says Wainaina.

Speaking to The Saturday Standard, Directorate of Criminal Investigations boss Mohamed Amin said his detectives had arrested five people alongside Wainaina.

"They are not suspects. They are just persons of interest. They are helping police with investigations," Amin said.

Detectives familiar with the matter said six people had recorded statements and confirmed Wainaina, Mbugua and Muhia were detained.

Wainaina is currently being held at Kileleshwa police station while Muhia is at the Capitol Hill police post and Mbugua at Kilimani police station.

Muchiri Nyaga, the police spokesman, declined to comment on the case.

"Police are still doing their investigations. They haven't completed what they are doing in regard to the arrested guys. A lot is going on, and when they complete their investigation, we will issue a statement.”

This comes even as it emerged that surveillance cameras along Mombasa and Lang’ata roads were not operational after the termination of a maintenance contract by Kenya Kwanza administration. A person familiar with the matter said the contract was renegotiated after the killing of Kasipul MP.

Some of the cameras within Nairobi’s CBD are working but the ones outside the city centre are not operational.

Police will now rely on CCTV cameras installed by private citizens to unmask the identity of the man who was captured along Kaunda Street making calls when the lawyer was leaving his office in the evening.

Already, Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga has ordered Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to probe the killing and deliver a report within seven days.

“The ODPP reaffirms its commitment to upholding the rule of law and ensuring justice for all,” ODPP said in a statement on Thursday.

Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen assured Kenyans that the DCI was making progress in probing the killing.

“This is a very sad thing that has happened in our country, akin to what happened to MP Ong’ondo Were. The late Mbobu was my teacher, colleague and friend. Some persons of interest have already been identified, some interrogated and others are going to be sought,” said Murkomen.

 “I am very interested to know what really happened. I am in a position of responsibility, and in constant consultation with the DCI,” he added.

Murkomen spoke after DPP Ingonga directive to IG Kanja.