Luther12
Elder Lister
The Crime Scene
4 February 2000.
Lawrence Githinji Magondu, a land dealer, arrives in Kitengela at 10 am. He's here to meet a client who wants to buy a plot he is selling. He is with Harrison King'ori, his driver.
The client, Wilson Thirimbu Mwangi, arrives 10 minutes later. With him are Annah Ngonyo and three men. Annah is Thirimbu's sister. She lives in Switzerland, and she, Thirimbu, and their mother plan to buy the plot as a family. Annah is flying out to Switzerland tonight, so she wants to finalize the deal before she departs.
Thirimbu introduces the three men accompanying him as David Karuga, Stephen Wambua, and Stephen Kagia. He says they are his workers, and he wants them to fence off the plot immediately. He opens the boot of his car and shows Magondu a roll of barbed wire he'll use to fence. Next to the wire are three iron bars, two crowbars, and a new panga.
Thirimbu requests Magondu to show him and Annah around the property. With King'ori following them closely behind, they walk along the plot's perimeter, stopping at every beacon. They then go back to the cars, where the three workers are waiting.
"Do you have other plots around we can look at before we make a decision?" asks Thirimbu.
"Yes, I can show you a few," replies Magondu.
The group drives around in the two cars. Magondu, Thirimbu, and Anne are in Thirimbu's car while King'ori carries the three workers in Magondu's car. They stop at the Ostrich Farm and park side by side. Magondu, Thirimbu, and Annah enter the hotel but come out after 10 minutes. Thirimbu and Annah are each carrying a bottle of mineral water. The three go back to Thirimbu's car, but before they depart, Thirimbu walks over to Magondu's car and asks King'ori to drive behind him.
On reaching the then vice president's home, Thirimbu's car turns left, but King'ori drives straight ahead and stops at the main road. His passengers are agitated.
"Why didn't you follow Thirimbu," asks Karuga, one of the workers.
"I don't have enough fuel. We'll wait for the others here," King'ori replies.
"But this place is not safe," says Karuga.
"We are not criminals, so we have nothing to fear," responds King'ori. However, he heeds their caution and drives to a plot in Kitengela, where he and Magondu usually meet.
Magondu, Thirimbu, and Annah join them at the plot in Kitengela, and Thirimbu suggests they take lunch before proceeding to Nairobi. He gives King'ori Kshs. 1,000 and tells him to buy meat for the group at the Tarino Butchery in Kitengela town. At this point, Karuga switches from the car driven by King'ori to the one driven by Thirimbu, and he, Magondu, Anne, and Thirimbu drive off towards Kitengela Prison as King'ori, Wambua, and Kagia head to Tarino Butchery.
King'ori parks outside Tarino Bar and goes inside to order lunch for the group. When he returns, he sees Kagia running towards Thirimbu's car, parked a short distance away. Njoki then hops onto the back seat of the vehicle, and they drive away.
"What is happening?" King'ori asks.
"Thirimbu has called Kagia," replies Wambua.
King'ori and Wambua sit in the car, waiting for the others to return. After 40 minutes, Thirimbu's car passes by and stops about 500 metres from Tarino Butchery. Kagia alights, and the vehicle speeds off towards Nairobi. Kagia calls Wambua aside, they talk in hushed tones for about three minutes, and they join King'ori in the car.
"What is happening?" King'ori asks.
"Your boss is in Thirimbu's car. He has said we follow them to Nairobi," replied Kagia.
"How about the lunch I have ordered?" probes King'ori.
"They have said that they'll first go to Nairobi to complete the transaction, then they'll come back for lunch."
King'ori gives chase to Thirimbu's car. He wants to tell Magondu that his vehicle does not have enough fuel; the little remaining cannot get him to Mlolongo. He catches up with it on Old Mombasa Road. As he starts to overtake, he notices that Magondu is not in Thirimbu's car.
"My boss is not in the car. Where did you leave him," King'ori asks?
"He is sleeping on the back seat," replies Kagia.
"Tell me the truth," insists King'ori. "If you've left him behind, I can go pick him up."
Kagia and Wambua tell King'ori to shut up and follow whatever instructions they'll give him. Thirimbu then diverts his car towards the Nairobi National Park, and Kagia tells King'ori to follow him.
On reaching an isolated location, Thirimbu stops, blocking King'ori's car. Kagia and Wambua pull him out of the car and started beating him. The people in Thirimbu's car join them in assaulting him.
"Hit him where we hit his boss," Thirimbu orders. Kagia aims a crowbar at King'ori's temple, but he blocks it with his arm. They tie both his arms behind him and start beating with a crowbar and metal bars. Some of the blows land on his head, and he bleeds profusely. After ten minutes, he pretends to be dead. They are sure they have "finished him", so they drive off. Good samaritans rescue him and take him to Athi River Police Station. One police officer takes him for treatment at Isinya Medical Clinic, where they arrive at 5 pm.
At this time, on a dusty road near Kitengela, Wilfred Ngugi, a taxi driver, drives his client's children home from school. He sees something unusual and slows down. It's the body of a man. His feet are on the roadside, but dense grass has covered the rest of the body. His hands are tied with a sisal rope, and there is a lot of blood at the scene. He reports the incident at Kitengela Police Station. Police officers visit the location and find the body has visible injuries, including deep cuts on the forehead and the back.
It is the body of Lawrence Magondu. In a postmortem conducted on 8 February 2000, Dr Alex Onzere Kirasi Olumbe concludes that Magondu died from head injuries inflicted by a blunt object using blunt force.
4 February 2000.
Lawrence Githinji Magondu, a land dealer, arrives in Kitengela at 10 am. He's here to meet a client who wants to buy a plot he is selling. He is with Harrison King'ori, his driver.
The client, Wilson Thirimbu Mwangi, arrives 10 minutes later. With him are Annah Ngonyo and three men. Annah is Thirimbu's sister. She lives in Switzerland, and she, Thirimbu, and their mother plan to buy the plot as a family. Annah is flying out to Switzerland tonight, so she wants to finalize the deal before she departs.
Thirimbu introduces the three men accompanying him as David Karuga, Stephen Wambua, and Stephen Kagia. He says they are his workers, and he wants them to fence off the plot immediately. He opens the boot of his car and shows Magondu a roll of barbed wire he'll use to fence. Next to the wire are three iron bars, two crowbars, and a new panga.
Thirimbu requests Magondu to show him and Annah around the property. With King'ori following them closely behind, they walk along the plot's perimeter, stopping at every beacon. They then go back to the cars, where the three workers are waiting.
"Do you have other plots around we can look at before we make a decision?" asks Thirimbu.
"Yes, I can show you a few," replies Magondu.
The group drives around in the two cars. Magondu, Thirimbu, and Anne are in Thirimbu's car while King'ori carries the three workers in Magondu's car. They stop at the Ostrich Farm and park side by side. Magondu, Thirimbu, and Annah enter the hotel but come out after 10 minutes. Thirimbu and Annah are each carrying a bottle of mineral water. The three go back to Thirimbu's car, but before they depart, Thirimbu walks over to Magondu's car and asks King'ori to drive behind him.
On reaching the then vice president's home, Thirimbu's car turns left, but King'ori drives straight ahead and stops at the main road. His passengers are agitated.
"Why didn't you follow Thirimbu," asks Karuga, one of the workers.
"I don't have enough fuel. We'll wait for the others here," King'ori replies.
"But this place is not safe," says Karuga.
"We are not criminals, so we have nothing to fear," responds King'ori. However, he heeds their caution and drives to a plot in Kitengela, where he and Magondu usually meet.
Magondu, Thirimbu, and Annah join them at the plot in Kitengela, and Thirimbu suggests they take lunch before proceeding to Nairobi. He gives King'ori Kshs. 1,000 and tells him to buy meat for the group at the Tarino Butchery in Kitengela town. At this point, Karuga switches from the car driven by King'ori to the one driven by Thirimbu, and he, Magondu, Anne, and Thirimbu drive off towards Kitengela Prison as King'ori, Wambua, and Kagia head to Tarino Butchery.
King'ori parks outside Tarino Bar and goes inside to order lunch for the group. When he returns, he sees Kagia running towards Thirimbu's car, parked a short distance away. Njoki then hops onto the back seat of the vehicle, and they drive away.
"What is happening?" King'ori asks.
"Thirimbu has called Kagia," replies Wambua.
King'ori and Wambua sit in the car, waiting for the others to return. After 40 minutes, Thirimbu's car passes by and stops about 500 metres from Tarino Butchery. Kagia alights, and the vehicle speeds off towards Nairobi. Kagia calls Wambua aside, they talk in hushed tones for about three minutes, and they join King'ori in the car.
"What is happening?" King'ori asks.
"Your boss is in Thirimbu's car. He has said we follow them to Nairobi," replied Kagia.
"How about the lunch I have ordered?" probes King'ori.
"They have said that they'll first go to Nairobi to complete the transaction, then they'll come back for lunch."
King'ori gives chase to Thirimbu's car. He wants to tell Magondu that his vehicle does not have enough fuel; the little remaining cannot get him to Mlolongo. He catches up with it on Old Mombasa Road. As he starts to overtake, he notices that Magondu is not in Thirimbu's car.
"My boss is not in the car. Where did you leave him," King'ori asks?
"He is sleeping on the back seat," replies Kagia.
"Tell me the truth," insists King'ori. "If you've left him behind, I can go pick him up."
Kagia and Wambua tell King'ori to shut up and follow whatever instructions they'll give him. Thirimbu then diverts his car towards the Nairobi National Park, and Kagia tells King'ori to follow him.
On reaching an isolated location, Thirimbu stops, blocking King'ori's car. Kagia and Wambua pull him out of the car and started beating him. The people in Thirimbu's car join them in assaulting him.
"Hit him where we hit his boss," Thirimbu orders. Kagia aims a crowbar at King'ori's temple, but he blocks it with his arm. They tie both his arms behind him and start beating with a crowbar and metal bars. Some of the blows land on his head, and he bleeds profusely. After ten minutes, he pretends to be dead. They are sure they have "finished him", so they drive off. Good samaritans rescue him and take him to Athi River Police Station. One police officer takes him for treatment at Isinya Medical Clinic, where they arrive at 5 pm.
At this time, on a dusty road near Kitengela, Wilfred Ngugi, a taxi driver, drives his client's children home from school. He sees something unusual and slows down. It's the body of a man. His feet are on the roadside, but dense grass has covered the rest of the body. His hands are tied with a sisal rope, and there is a lot of blood at the scene. He reports the incident at Kitengela Police Station. Police officers visit the location and find the body has visible injuries, including deep cuts on the forehead and the back.
It is the body of Lawrence Magondu. In a postmortem conducted on 8 February 2000, Dr Alex Onzere Kirasi Olumbe concludes that Magondu died from head injuries inflicted by a blunt object using blunt force.
