Embu businessman and former MCA aspirant who was shot dead under unclear circumstances in Embu town on Wednesday night had earlier been charged in court with drug trafficking and was also on the radar of the detectives.

Even as the mystery still surrounds the shooting, mixed reactions greeted the death of Dennis Mbae Mutegi with some of the residents thronging the mortuary to celebrate his  killing.

Embu West Sub-County Police Commander (SCPC) Julius Kyumbule said the deceased was shot inside his car on Wednesday at around 11 pm at Bonanza area when he was accosted by an unknown assailant on his way home.

The gunmen were driving in a vehicle that had no number plates, which they used to block the deceased’s car before opening fire.

They shot at him 17 times.

Kyumbule said after the shooting, the assailants drove away to an unknown destination, leaving the businessman fighting for his life.

“The assailants, who had a car that had no registration number plates, shot him many times. However, when we arrived at the scene, we found his vehicle inside a ditch and we rushed him to the hospital but he was unfortunately pronounced dead,” said Kyumbule. The body was taken to Embu Level 5 Hospital as police launched investigations.

The fatal shooting remains a mystery with reports that he was well known in the region and was even a close confidant of most police officers and even judicial officers. The well connected and wealthy man had been investigated over reports that he was selling drugs, especially bhang from Ethiopia.

“An independent probe had revealed that he was colluding with some senior police officers and even court officials, and was even bribing them,” a senior officer based in Nairobi told People Daily. 

The deceased had earlier unsuccessfully contested the Kirimari Ward representative seat on a Maendeleo Chap Chap party ticket.