Police yesterday questioned Akinyi over the death of her lover and arrested her nephew, Cosmas Okoth, on suspicion of murder. Okoth, who hosted Ogunda on the night before he was found dead, is expected to be charged with murder on Friday.
“We intend to take him to court on murder charges and ask authorities to allow us more time to finish our investigations,” said Nairobi County CID Commander Nicholas Kamwende.
Okoth’s arrest came a day after results of a post-mortem released on Wednesday evening indicated Ogunda died from blows to the head.
“He had trauma on his head, which is consistent with a blunt force. The deceased had internal bleeding on the brain,” said Government pathologist Peter Ndegwa.
Police sources said Tuju had been summoned alongside his son. Sources said the officers decided to summon Tuju’s son because he had been drinking with the deceased and other friends in recent weeks.
Divorce suit
Other officers said they expect Tuju to record his statement either today or at the weekend because, he is out of the country.
Ogunda, a former GSU officer who was fired from the force while serving as Tuju’s bodyguard, is named in a divorce suit filed by the former minister against his wife of 27 years. Akinyi and the former presidential aspirant have three children.
Tuju, 54, accuses his wife of cheating on him with the GSU officer, 24, who was at one time attached to his home. He claims in his petition that his wife entertained Ogunda at his Karen home and has also rented a house for him.
Kilimani head of CID George Ojuka said Akinyi may also be recalled to record more statements depending on how the investigations go.
“The case is progressing well even though most of those we have talked to deny any connection,” Ojuka said.
Earlier in the day, police arrested Okoth, who is believed to have been the last person to see Tony Ogunda alive following a drinking spree on the night before his death.
Okoth admitted in earlier media interviews he was in the company of Ogunda prior to his death and is the one who reported to police on Tuesday morning that he had discovered Ogunda dead in his house, where he had spent the night.
Nairobi County Police Commander Benson Kibui and his CID counterpart Kamwende, said they were holding Okoth over investigations into what they termed murder. “We are pursuing, among other issues, a murder angle. This boy is a prime suspect in the incident because he was with the deceased,” said Kibui.
Murder charges
Kamwende said they would record statements from several other parties mentioned in the investigation. “This is an investigation that will bring in all those who have been mentioned. We will follow it up to the end,” he said when he was asked if Tuju and his wife Ruth Akinyi would be questioned.
Okoth recorded statements yesterday in which, he alleged that the door to the house where Ogunda’s body was found was broken into last Wednesday in a scuffle with friends.
George Otieno, a close friend of Ogunda, too said the door was broken in a confrontation last Wednesday.
Dr Ndegwa, who together with a colleague Dr Johansen Oduor, conducted the autopsy at the City Mortuary, said they had taken various samples from the body for further toxicological tests.
The tests will reveal if Ogunda, 24, and the last born in a family of three boys, had any other chemicals in his body that may have contributed to his death. Kilimani police boss Bernard Muli had earlier said they found a bottle labeled Humalog 1DNA 100gms with a syringe next to the body.
The medicine is used to treat diabetes but his mother and friends said Ogunda had no such medical condition and the bottle could have been planted there to detract from the motive of his killing.
The autopsy was conducted in the presence of the family lawyer Cliff Ombeta. Dr Ndegwa said they had informed the police of the findings.
“I believe police will be able to tell the family who or what caused the injuries. The injuries are on the forehead and the left side of the back of his head,” said Ndegwa.
Meanwhile, Otieno said Ogunda had a premonition about his death. “He always said he will leave us and he will die. We thought he was joking but he said he saw he would die soon,” said Otieno.
Otieno added he, Ogunda, Okoth, and a group of friends had in the past two weeks been on drinking.
“Cosmas has been buying us alcohol but he did not drink and we do not know why. On Sunday, we even had a bash in the same house where the body was found,” said Otieno.
- The Standard
