George Kirubi fought back tears as he recounted his shock when he heard that his wife had been shot and killed.
City Park is a popular hangout where young revellers relax in their cars chewing miraa and drinking especially in the evenings and on weekends. Policemen are however said to tap on car windows, soliciting for money, before proceeding to the next car.
On the tragic Sunday morning and out of character,one Mr Chege while realxing with Janet Waiyaki decided to ignore the police, started the car and began to drive off. The two APs opened sustained fire, firing 15 bullets and killing Ms Waiyaki, a mother of three, and leaving Mr Chege in need of blood and nursing injuries at Avenue Park Hospital.
What the two officers were doing, allegedly on duty, so far from their beats and in the area under the jurisdiction of Parklands Police Station, remains unexplained.
According to Mr Chege they were “relaxing” at the spot he had frequented before the incident.
“I have never been shot before. This is like a movie to me. When I was shot, I tried to apply pressure on the wound. It was very painful. I begged the cops to give me a piece of cloth to stop the bleeding, they didn’t want to help,” Mr Chege said from his hospital bed.
Mr chege was a friend to Janet and a nephew to the husband of Janet.
Businessman George Kirubi yesterday recalled in a Nairobi court how he got to know the death of his second wife at City Park in May last year.
He said Janet Waiyaki, 41, was in the company of his nephew.
He said Janet had borne him three children. They ran a joint business named Fay Mobile. Kirubi also runs a restaurant and bar near Tom Mboya-Ronald Ngala streets junction. Kirubi’s first wife lives in their home next to Pangani police station. Janet stayed in Donholm.
In that marriage, Kirubi and Janet would sometimes differ, but that is inevitable in any relationship. “In marriage, people argue and solve their problems. But I used to care for my wife,” he said.
On May 20 last year, he left his Pangani home and headed to his second home in Donholm. He arrived at 9am and found his children with the housegirl. He tried to reach Jane on the phone, but she did not return the call.
At around 10am, Kirubi received a call from his cousin Joseph Kuria, who asked if he had any report. Kuria did not specify but told Kirubi to go to Avenue Hospital where Janet had been rushed.
But before Kirubi could leave, he received a second call from the deceased’s sister, Njoki. She delivered unexpected news. Janet was dead. Then confusion reigned. Kirubi said he began to walk aimlessly — a distraught man. The sister-in-law then drove over so they could go to Avenue Hospital together.
A police report, indicates that Administration Police Constables William Kipkorir Chirchir & Godfrey Kipngehch Kirui discharged four and 11 bullets, respectively, from their AK47 rifles, killing Ms Janet Wangui Waiyaki and injuring Mr Benard Chege https://t.co/exyJXi5yfm
— Kenneth Jura (@TheeJuror) May 21, 2018
Although there were suspicions that Kirubi’s 27-year-old nephew Benard Chege was having an affair with his wife of 16 years, he told the court that he was not aware of anything going on between the two.
“I cannot tell whether my nephew had a close relationship with my wife. I cared for my wife so much… it is the reason why I was looking for her when I couldn’t find her in the house and her phone went unanswered.
I only became aware that she was with Benard (Chege) after the incident,” said Kirubi.
Kirubi was testifying in the case where two police officers, Administration Police constable William Chirchir from Makadara Police Station and AP Constable Godfrey Kirui from Industrial Area Police Station are charged with killing Waiyaki.
According to the prosecution, the two officers fired 15 bullets into the vehicle that Waiyaki and Chege were in at City Park in Parklands. Waiyaki, then aged 41, succumbed to the gunshot wounds while Chege was left fighting for his life.