EMBU, Kenya. January 15 – Meru governor Kawira Mwangaza’s son, husband Murega Baichu, and her sister Miriam Guantai were on Sunday grilled by Homicide detectives in Embu in connection to the brutal murder of Meru blogger Daniel Muthiani alias Sniper.
The three were summoned to the regional headquarters in Embu where their statements were recorded after being grilled.
Baichu was accompanied by his lawyers during the statement recording in the probe that is being conducted by a team of detectives from Nairobi, Meru and Embu.
“The probe is progressing well and the governor will also be summoned to record her statement,” a senior detective said.
Governor Mwangaza’s brother, Kenneth Guantai, is also in custody after they were arrested in connection to the murder together with four others including the Meru county director of protocol Kenneth Mutuma.
Blogger Snipper disappeared on December 2, 2023 before his body was recovered dumped at River Mutonga in Tharaka Nithi county two weeks later, on December 16.
The Chief Government pathologist Johansen Oduor who conducted the postmortem on December 22 said the deceased was tortured before being strangled. He also had fractured ribs.
Circumstantial evidence has linked the governor’s office to the murder with detectives saying it was unlikely that killers acted without her knowledge or consent of Governor Mwangaza.
On January 6, detectives visited the residence of the governor after preliminary investigations indicated Snipper’s killing could have been planned by her staff and relatives.
The following day, they arrested a boda boda rider, Brian Mwenda, bringing to seven the total number of murder suspects so far arrested.
Detectives have analysed the call data of the suspects and established a clear pattern of communication before the killing of the blogger.
The suspects so far arrested are Mutuma, Fredrick Muriuki Kiugu, Frankline Kimathi, Vincent Murithi, Timothy Kinoti and Brian Mwendwa. Mwenda, is a bodaboda rider in Meru, was arrested on the outskirts of Gachanka village, Ntima East division in North Imenti.
In the application the DCI said Murithi alias Supuu lured the deceased through a phone call that the county boss wanted to meet him for truce before he travelled from his home at Kabuitu in Igembe South.
“The deceased was lured through a phone call to come and meet the governor whom he used to publicly criticize so that they can make peace and work together,” read part of the application.
The prosecution on January 12 asked a Kiambu High Court for a continued detention of the five suspects in connection with the murder for a further 14 days to allow the police to conclude their investigations.
The prosecution, through Evelyn Onunga, argued that releasing the suspects at this point would compromise the integrity of the ongoing investigations and interfere with witnesses.
The matter shall be mentioned on January 29, 2024.
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