The Sh39 billion arms scandal involving former sports and heritage cabinet secretary Rashid Echesa on Thursday took a darker turn when a police officer attached to Deputy President William Ruto’s Annex office was found dead in his house at Imara Daima area in Nairobi.
Sergeant John Kipyegon Kenei was on duty when the ex-Sports CS accompanied by two other people visited Ruto’s office and he is the one who ushered them in after informing them that Ruto was not around.
Through investigation has been launched by the Directorate of Criminal Investigation since the details of mega scandals emerged and several persons including other police officers and staff working at the DP’s office have recorded their statements. However, Kenei went missing a day before he was set to record his statement before he was found dead with a bullet wound thus complicating the case.It is not clear whether Kenei committed suicide or was eliminated as his family maintain that there is no way their son could have murdered himself.
One of his friends has come out to disclose his last conversation with the slain officer and it appears that Kenei was being disturbed by the case as he told his friend that things were getting tough. His friend advised him to remain firm over the matter but his phone went off on Tuesday two days before his lifeless body was discovered.
“He said the Echesa issue was getting tough because he had been informed that some detectives were going to the office on Monday. I told him not to worry because that was going to be investigated and that he should say whatever he saw.He said he would brief me on the outcome on Monday but didn’t, and I forgot to call him. When I tried to reach him on Tuesday, his phone was off, ” the friend said as reported by Kenyans
On his part, DP Ruto described Kenei as a disciplined young man and asked the relevant authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to ascertain the cause of Kenei’s death.
” Kenei was a disciplined young police officer. I urge the relevant authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to ascertain the circumstances surrounding his death,” Ruto tweeted on Thursday