Raila dares Ruto to investigate all police killings

President William Ruto has been accused of witch-hunting former Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti under the guise of investigating extra-judicial killings.

Azimio-One Kenya leader Raila Odinga claimed President Ruto was out to punish former State officials he had differences with when he was Deputy President.

He accused the Head of State of pursuing a personal vendetta against such individuals, including Kinoti, yet there were many unresolved police killings, including of International Criminal Court (ICC) witnesses.

Ruto and Uhuru Kenyatta were among political leaders and government officers who were charged with crimes against humanity at the ICC in relation to the 2007-2008 post-election violence.

The two later teamed up and won the 2013 election despite being on trial at The Hague-based court. In subsequent years, many of the witnesses in the cases died in mysterious circumstances.

Paul Gicheru, a lawyer accused of tampering with some of the witnesses by offering them bribes to recant their statements, died in his home in September.

Yesterday, Raila revisited some of the cases, arguing that the Ruto administration should not only focus on the two Indian citizens who disappeared ahead of the August election.

When he assumed power in September, Ruto ordered a crackdown on the Special Services Unit (SSU), whose officers were linked to the forced disappearance of the two IT experts and of extra-judicial killings of Kenyans. The squad reported directly to Kinoti, who opted to retire in September after Ruto won the election.

“We oppose the attempt to sacrifice State officers who in the line of duty may have rubbed politicians the wrong way,” said Raila at a press conference in Nairobi.

With him were Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and his Narc Kenya counterpart, Martha Karua, who was Raila’s running mate in the August 9 presidential election.

Raila called for thorough investigations into the numerous brutal killings, such as the February 2020 death of Sergeant Kipyegon Kenei, a security officer attached to Ruto’s office, when he was the Deputy President.

Kenei died before recording a statement at the DCI concerning a Sh39.5 billion fake arms deal linked to the office of the DP.

“As Mr Ruto mounts a search for the Indians, whoever and whatever they were to him, we want an equally vigorous search established to find the truth behind the disappearance and death of tens of Kenyans,” Raila said.

Special unit

The opposition leader asked detectives to include in their scope of coverage the death of Meshack Yebei, who was a witness in the case against Ruto at The Hague.

He also challenged Ruto to order investigations into the death of businessman Jacob Juma, former IEBC official Chris Musando and others linked to cases at the International Criminal Court, including Christopher Koech, John Kituyi, Naftali Irungu, George Thuo, Antony Mwenje, Njoroge Gichere, Joseph Kang’ethe, Philip Bett, Benard Kemeli, Charles Ndung’u, George Njoroge and lawyer Gicheru.

Police are yet to resolve the cases of how they met the suspicious death some of which were blamed on special police squads.

Last month, Ruto disbanded the Special Services Unit (SSU), which operated under the Directorate of Criminal Investigations following claims that its members were behind extra-judicial killings.

While issuing the order, the President said the elite squad members had become killers, accusing them of going against their core mandate of protecting the lives and property of Kenyans.

Nine members of the unit have since been charged with the abduction of a Kenyan, Nicodemus Mwange, and two Indians; Mohamed Zaid and Zulfiqar Ahmed.

The suspects told investigators that they were acting on orders from their bosses and wondered why they were being sacrificed.

Kinoti, who has since been redeployed to the Public Service Commission, has also been put on the spot over claims that he ordered his juniors to fabricate charges against politicians perceived to be opposed to the Jubilee administration.

Witch-hunt

Senior officers who worked under Kinoti are now turning against him, accusing their former boss of pushing them to charge politicians who were supporting Ruto. Among those allegedly targeted was Rigathi Gachagua, now Deputy President, who faced various charges ranging from corruption to tax evasion.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Noordin Haji, has publicly hit out at Kinoti, blaming him for the high number of unsuccessful prosecution by his office.

Yesterday, however, Raila defended Kinoti, accusing the Ruto administration of targeting him unfairly. He said Ruto’s order for investigations into cases of extra-judicial killings was turning into a politically motivated witch-hunt against Kinoti and some few police officers.

“We believe in the sanctity of life, the rule of law, in the due process… We believe that all, not some, cases or suspected cases of extra-judicial executions need to be investigated and those responsible punished,” Raila said. “We are opposed to the current trend directed by our vindictive regime and the President that seems to be pursuing a personal vendetta against specific current and past State officers in the pretext of pursuing extra-judicial executions.”

According to him, the President and Kinoti have had a long-standing feud. “Ruto appears to believe that the coming of the UDA regime is an opportunity for him to punish State officers he long had a grudge against. We’re here to say no!”

He accused the new government of sacrificing State officers who, in the line of duty, rubbed politicians the wrong way and who, he said, were selectively being punished for having done their job.

“Kenyans are being hoodwinked to believe that the State was investigating extrajudicial killings,” Raila said.

According to him, the Kenya Kwanza administration, which Ruto leads, had become a one-man government, which, he said, poses a threat to democracy.

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