Luther12
Elder Lister
Connecting the Dots
King'ori, Magondu's driver, tells detectives the last time he saw Magondu alive, he was in a Toyota Corolla, KAK 004J, driven by Thirimbu.
He says Thirimbu first visited Magondu's office on 17 January. On his way out, Magondu introduced him as a potential buyer for the Kitengela plot. The following day, Magondu was out of the office most of the day. When he returned, he told King'ori he had gone to the Kitengela plot; Thirimbu, his sister, and his mother had asked to view it. On 2 February, a lady visited Magondu's Buru Buru residence, and Magondu introduced her as Annah Ngonyo, Thirimbu's sister.
He says Magondu spoke to Thirimbu several times as they drove to Kitengela on 4 February. A printout of his phone calls shows he only talked to phone number 072411165. Later, this phone number communicated many times with mobile phone number 072410627 and landline numbers 0260094 and 02532322.
On 8 February, detectives learn that the car KAK 004J belongs to Personal Tours and Safaris. On 4 February, one Wilson Thirimbu Mwangi had hired it, and he left behind a copy of his ID.
One detective identifies the picture on the ID as that of Wilson Thirimbu Mwangi, the son of Cpl Mwangi, a driver at CID headquarters. They ask Cpl Mwangi to take them to his son's house, but he doesn't know where he lives. However, one of his daughters does, and she takes them to his house in Uthiru. They find him at home and arrest him.
On searching his house, they find an iron bar, a new panga, Kshs. 80,000, and the original copy of the ID they saw at Personal Tours and Safaris. In his bank account, they find recent deposits totalling 1.5M.
They call 072411165, and it rings in the phone Thirimbu is holding. He confirms it is his number, so they question him about the three numbers he regularly called on 4 February 2000. He says 072410627 belongs to Francis Karioko Muruatetu, 0260094 to Rose Njoki Muruatetu, and 02532322 to Hightech Cafe, owned by Rose.
Anne Ngonyo is not Mwangi's sister who lives in Switzerland. He doesn't know where she lives, but he knows someone who does. On 9 February, he takes them to a house in Umoja Estate belonging to one Agnes, who shows them Anne Ngonyo's place in the same estate. They find her at home and arrest her. In a statement to the police, she says Thirimbu hired her to lure Magondu to Kitengela. However, she later recants the statement.
Asked about the whereabouts of the three people he introduced to Magondu as his workers, Thirimbu says he does not know them; he got them from one Stephen Kanyoro. On 10 February 2000, they find Kanyoro, who shows them Karuga's home in Waithaka, Wambua's house in Kawangware, and Kagia's place in Kibera Mashimoni. Police arrest all three. In Kagia's house, they find a bloody white T-Shirt fitting the description given by King'ori.
Wambua and Kagia deny receiving money from Thirimbu to kill Magondu, but Karuga admits having been at the scene of Magondu's murder. He tells the detectives:
"The car turned suddenly, and Thirimbu stopped it. I thought it had a puncture. I came out, leaving others in the vehicle. I heard Thirimbu say, "You want to kill us", and I saw Thirimbu and Annah struggle with the old man. I joined them and tied his hands using a sisal rope. I did so because I had seen him with a pistol as he struggled with Thirimbu and Annah. Thirimbu then opened the vehicle door, went to the boot, came back with an iron bar, and told Njoki to remove him from the vehicle. Thirimbu handed the iron bar to Njoki, who used it to hit him on the head (slightly behind the head). Thirimbu pulled him out of the vehicle and threw him on the ground. We left him there, and we drove towards the shops."
Mwangi says he did not know the home of Francis Muruatetu or that of Rose Muruatetu but could contact them by phone. He calls Francis Muruatetu, and they agree to meet the following day, 10 February 2000. Francis and Rose show up for the meeting in one car, a BMW, registration number KAE 600G, and the police arrest them.
In a statement that she later retracts but the court admits as evidence, Rose Muruatetu tells investigators that she and Francis Karioko Muruatetu are a sister and brother of Elizabeth Gitiri Gachanja, wife of Wilson Gachanja, a former commissioner of lands. She says that in December 1999, someone calling himself Maji Moto confided in her that Lawrence Magondu Githinji was planning to eliminate Gachanja. Maji Moto said Magondu was offering him Kshs. 4M for the job. She says she reported this matter to Kilimani Police station, but detectives don't find any evidence of such a report in the station's occurrence books. The issue, therefore, was never investigated.
Police investigators believe the December meeting between Rose and Maji Moto ignited the chain of events that led to the murder of Magondu on 4 February 2000, and they start connecting the dots.
In her retracted statement, Rose says that in January 2000, Gachanja gave her brother, Francis Karioko Muruatetu, Ksh. 200K to take to Maji Moto. The money was to facilitate Maji Moto to finish Magondu. He later added 1.8M and another 600K.
In a statement that he later recants, Stephen Muruatetu says he hired Thirimbu to kill Magondu on behalf of his sister, Elizabeth Gitiri Gachanja. She provided the funds required to do the job. When they search his house, they find a title deed, and he tells them it was a reward from his sister for carrying out the assignment.
Francis and Rose show detectives the home of Wilson Gachanja, a former commissioner lands, and they arrest both Gachanja and his wife.
Police investigate the bank accounts of Mr and Mrs Gachanja. In the days preceding Magondu's murder, she sent Rose to cash cheques worth Kshs. 600K from her bank accounts. Mrs Gachanja also withdrew Kshs. 1M from her children's accounts but did not inform her husband. She also made numerous calls to Francis Karioko, who was in constant contact with Thirimbu.
King'ori, Magondu's driver, tells detectives the last time he saw Magondu alive, he was in a Toyota Corolla, KAK 004J, driven by Thirimbu.
He says Thirimbu first visited Magondu's office on 17 January. On his way out, Magondu introduced him as a potential buyer for the Kitengela plot. The following day, Magondu was out of the office most of the day. When he returned, he told King'ori he had gone to the Kitengela plot; Thirimbu, his sister, and his mother had asked to view it. On 2 February, a lady visited Magondu's Buru Buru residence, and Magondu introduced her as Annah Ngonyo, Thirimbu's sister.
He says Magondu spoke to Thirimbu several times as they drove to Kitengela on 4 February. A printout of his phone calls shows he only talked to phone number 072411165. Later, this phone number communicated many times with mobile phone number 072410627 and landline numbers 0260094 and 02532322.
On 8 February, detectives learn that the car KAK 004J belongs to Personal Tours and Safaris. On 4 February, one Wilson Thirimbu Mwangi had hired it, and he left behind a copy of his ID.
One detective identifies the picture on the ID as that of Wilson Thirimbu Mwangi, the son of Cpl Mwangi, a driver at CID headquarters. They ask Cpl Mwangi to take them to his son's house, but he doesn't know where he lives. However, one of his daughters does, and she takes them to his house in Uthiru. They find him at home and arrest him.
On searching his house, they find an iron bar, a new panga, Kshs. 80,000, and the original copy of the ID they saw at Personal Tours and Safaris. In his bank account, they find recent deposits totalling 1.5M.
They call 072411165, and it rings in the phone Thirimbu is holding. He confirms it is his number, so they question him about the three numbers he regularly called on 4 February 2000. He says 072410627 belongs to Francis Karioko Muruatetu, 0260094 to Rose Njoki Muruatetu, and 02532322 to Hightech Cafe, owned by Rose.
Anne Ngonyo is not Mwangi's sister who lives in Switzerland. He doesn't know where she lives, but he knows someone who does. On 9 February, he takes them to a house in Umoja Estate belonging to one Agnes, who shows them Anne Ngonyo's place in the same estate. They find her at home and arrest her. In a statement to the police, she says Thirimbu hired her to lure Magondu to Kitengela. However, she later recants the statement.
Asked about the whereabouts of the three people he introduced to Magondu as his workers, Thirimbu says he does not know them; he got them from one Stephen Kanyoro. On 10 February 2000, they find Kanyoro, who shows them Karuga's home in Waithaka, Wambua's house in Kawangware, and Kagia's place in Kibera Mashimoni. Police arrest all three. In Kagia's house, they find a bloody white T-Shirt fitting the description given by King'ori.
Wambua and Kagia deny receiving money from Thirimbu to kill Magondu, but Karuga admits having been at the scene of Magondu's murder. He tells the detectives:
"The car turned suddenly, and Thirimbu stopped it. I thought it had a puncture. I came out, leaving others in the vehicle. I heard Thirimbu say, "You want to kill us", and I saw Thirimbu and Annah struggle with the old man. I joined them and tied his hands using a sisal rope. I did so because I had seen him with a pistol as he struggled with Thirimbu and Annah. Thirimbu then opened the vehicle door, went to the boot, came back with an iron bar, and told Njoki to remove him from the vehicle. Thirimbu handed the iron bar to Njoki, who used it to hit him on the head (slightly behind the head). Thirimbu pulled him out of the vehicle and threw him on the ground. We left him there, and we drove towards the shops."
Mwangi says he did not know the home of Francis Muruatetu or that of Rose Muruatetu but could contact them by phone. He calls Francis Muruatetu, and they agree to meet the following day, 10 February 2000. Francis and Rose show up for the meeting in one car, a BMW, registration number KAE 600G, and the police arrest them.
In a statement that she later retracts but the court admits as evidence, Rose Muruatetu tells investigators that she and Francis Karioko Muruatetu are a sister and brother of Elizabeth Gitiri Gachanja, wife of Wilson Gachanja, a former commissioner of lands. She says that in December 1999, someone calling himself Maji Moto confided in her that Lawrence Magondu Githinji was planning to eliminate Gachanja. Maji Moto said Magondu was offering him Kshs. 4M for the job. She says she reported this matter to Kilimani Police station, but detectives don't find any evidence of such a report in the station's occurrence books. The issue, therefore, was never investigated.
Police investigators believe the December meeting between Rose and Maji Moto ignited the chain of events that led to the murder of Magondu on 4 February 2000, and they start connecting the dots.
In her retracted statement, Rose says that in January 2000, Gachanja gave her brother, Francis Karioko Muruatetu, Ksh. 200K to take to Maji Moto. The money was to facilitate Maji Moto to finish Magondu. He later added 1.8M and another 600K.
In a statement that he later recants, Stephen Muruatetu says he hired Thirimbu to kill Magondu on behalf of his sister, Elizabeth Gitiri Gachanja. She provided the funds required to do the job. When they search his house, they find a title deed, and he tells them it was a reward from his sister for carrying out the assignment.
Francis and Rose show detectives the home of Wilson Gachanja, a former commissioner lands, and they arrest both Gachanja and his wife.
Police investigate the bank accounts of Mr and Mrs Gachanja. In the days preceding Magondu's murder, she sent Rose to cash cheques worth Kshs. 600K from her bank accounts. Mrs Gachanja also withdrew Kshs. 1M from her children's accounts but did not inform her husband. She also made numerous calls to Francis Karioko, who was in constant contact with Thirimbu.
