NAIROBI, Kenya Feb 21 — Investigations have kicked off to establish the cause of death of one of the Administration Police officers on duty at DP William Ruto’s Annex office last week when former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa and two foreigners visited.
The officer, identified as Sergeant Kipyegon Kenei, was among six officers on duty, and is said to have been the one who ushered the three in and informed them that Ruto was not in.
The other five officers were questioned on Tuesday at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations over Echesa’s scandal, but the slain officer did not show up. He also failed to report to work on Wednesday.
His body was discovered in his Imara Daima House on Thursday.
Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti led detectives to the scene.
“We have launched investigations into the death,” “Kinoti said.
The body is said to have been discovered by a neighbour who called police.
A police report filed at the Embakasi Police Station shows that detectives are investigating suicide.
Police said it had a gunshot wound but it still remains unclear if he committed suicide or was shot.
“It is early to speculate on whether he was shot or it is suicide,” one senior police officer at Police Headquarters said on receiving the briefing from the scene.
The police report file at the Embakasi Police Station indicated a pistol with eleven rounds of ammunition was recovered beside the body of the 33-year-old officer.
“One spent cartridge was recovered from the house and it is suspected the deceased committed suicide,” the report indicated, in what is now a subject of investigations.
The officer, the report indicated, left a note reading, “Call my cousin Ben.” Kinei recorded the contacts of Ben and his unnamed brother in the note.
On learning of the death, DP Ruto tweeted, in condolences to the family, “Kenei was a disciplined young police officer. I urge the relevant authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to ascertain the circumstances surrounding his death. “
The officer’s death now forms part of the wider investigations by the DCI, who have already charged Echesa and three other men, said to be his business associates for obtaining Sh11.5 million from a Polish firm in the pretext that they will help it win a military equipment supply tender. They all denied a total of 12 charges and were freed on bond.
While the two foreigners said they were given tender documents, signed by military or procurement officials at the Department of Defence, the military Headquarters have dismissed them as fake because all the signatures were forged.
The DCI is investigating how Echesa and his associates managed to gain entry into the DP’s office with two foreigners in the scandal, and whether anyone in the high office was involved in the con-game.
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