Koinange’s wife arrested over land activist murder

By Karanja Njoroge and Mercy Kahenda The wife of the late Cabinet Minister Mbiyu Koinange has been arrested in connection with the murder of Maasai land rights activist Moses Mpoe last year. Mrs. Eddah Wanjiru Mbiyu was arrested in Nairobi and was taken to Nakuru over the weekend for grilling over the murder of the vocal land rights crusader. She is the second member of the late former powerful Minister family to be arrested in connection with the activist’s murder. A son of the former minister, Mr. David Njuno Mbiyu, was last December charged with the twin murders of the land activist and a Narok wheat farmer Parsaaiyia Ole Kitu. Njuno denied the charges. Son of the former minister Mbiyu Koinange, David Njuno last December when he charged with killing land activist Moses Mpoe and Narok farmer Parsaaiyia Ole Kitu. Mbiyu’s wife Edda was arrested over the weekend over the same murder [PHOTO:BONIFACE THUKU/STANDRAD] Mpoe and a fellow passenger were shot dead at point blank range by a gunman riding on a motorcycle at a traffic jam at Soilo Junction on the Nakuru- Eldoret Highway in December last year. At the time of his killing, he was leading a campaign seeking to repossess thousands of acres of land allegedly taken away from Maasai community by the colonialists. Three other suspects, including a former farm manager at the controversial 4,923-acre farm in Mau Narok owned by the Koinange family have also been charged with the twin murders. Eddah is a co-administrator of the expansive farm in Mau Narok, which was owned by her late husband. Other co-administrators include her stepson Njuno, David Waiganjo Koinange and Margaret Njeri Mbiyu. The late Mpoe was at one point a senior employee at the farm but was allegedly later suspended following disagreements with the family. Nakuru OCPD Johnston Ipara said the suspect is being held at the Nakuru police station and will appear in Court on Monday. The activist murder sparked angry reactions from members of the Maasai community. Earlier, Eddah had moved to Court seeking an order to bar Police from arresting her over the killings. However, in January, Nakuru High Court Judge William Ouko declined to extend the orders saying it would be akin to an abuse of the Court’s powers. Ouko noted that it was impossible for the Court to determine whether Police had any evidence against the late Minister’s widow until she had formally been charged with any offence. "Any action by this court to the contrary would amount to a premature trial where there is no accused person," he said in his ruling. The Judge said the petitioner had failed to show that investigations into the murders would infringe on her constitutional rights and freedoms.