Gakuru inquest:’governor would regularly change drivers due to security concerns’

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The Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti wanted the court to conduct a public inquest into the death of Nyeri Governor Wahome Gakuru, who perished in a road crash last year.

In a letter addressed to the Nyeri Chief Magistrate, Mr Kinoti said the decision followed a directive from the office of Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji ordering that the matter be disposed as a way of public inquest.

At the start of a public inquest into Dr Gakuru’s death on Wednesday, three witnesses led by the former governor’s private personal assistant Josphat Mwangi Maina and two body guards, Corporal Peter Mwaniki Maigua and Corporal Samson Lekol, said the governor stayed at the scene of crash for more than 40 minutes bleeding profusely.

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Third Nyeri County Governor Wahome Gakuru, who died on November 17, 2017.

Mr Maina was also the head of the governor’s security detail and initially introduced himself to the officers as detective from Directorate of Criminal Investigations, though they later came to learn that he was just a civilian.

Together with the governor in his vehicle, the court heard, was his official personal assistant Albert Gakuru, driver Smason Kinyanjui and security guard identified as Ahmed Khaliff Abdi.

Prior to his death, the witnesses said, the governor would regularly change drivers and would at times drive himself due to security concerns.

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Leaders join hundreds of mourners at Gakuru burial

“Sometimes he would refuse to be driven and he would tell off the driver on duty and direct him to sit at the back and drive himself,” said the witnesses.

Mr Kinyanjui had driven the Mercedes vehicle for about three weeks and was initially driving a county government’s ambulance.

The State has lined up 20 witnesses in the inquest which was adjourned to March 6, 2019

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