Ministry: Slain officer not poll chaos witness

Internal Security assistant minister Orwa Ojode said a former police officer who was killed at his home two weeks ago was not a witness to the Commission on the Post-Election Violence May 10, 2011. FILE

By JOHN NGIRACHU
Posted  Tuesday, May 10 2011 at 17:59

A former police officer who was killed at his home two weeks ago was not a witness to the Commission on the Post-Election Violence, the Internal Security ministry has said.

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But it is still not known whether Bernard Kimeli was a witness in the ongoing International Criminal Court cases against six prominent Kenyans, according to assistant minister Orwa Ojodeh.

“As far as we are concerned as government, he was not a witness at the Waki Commission (on the post-election violence),” said Mr Ojodeh.

He said there was no certainty whether he was one of the witnesses lined by ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo in his cases against the six Kenyans.

Police spokesman Eric Kiraithe said last week the ICC would be contacted to state whether Mr Kimeli was one of its prosecutor’s witnesses.

Mr Ojodeh told Parliament investigations into the murder of Mr Kimeli, who retired as commandant of the Kenya Police College at Kiganjo before in 2008, are ongoing.

He said police have questioned 14 people over the matter, among them Mr Kimeli’s wife Margaret and his two sons as well as two of his brothers, one of whom has a land dispute with him. 

The police have also questioned two officers who were guarding a neighbouring compound, two employees, the officer’s former driver as well as a university student who had spent the night at his home.

Mr Ojodeh said a post-mortem on the slain former officer revealed that he had died from severe chest and abdominal injuries due to gunshot wounds.

Mr Kimeli was discovered dead at his home on the morning of April 27 with three stab wounds and one gunshot wound.

MPs John Mbadi (Gwasi, ODM), Kiema Kilonzo (Mutito, ODM-K), Dr Julius Kones (Konoin, ODM) and Olago Aluoch (Kisumu Town West, ODM) put Mr Ojodeh under pressure to explain the extent of police investigations.

But the assistant minister said he could not reveal information that would jeopardise the ongoing investigations but asserted that the police would arrest the suspects.