Saitoti and Carson met ‘two times before crash’

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By VINCENT AGOYA vagoya@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Monday, September 24  2012 at  20:18

IN SUMMARY

• A meeting at the Wilson Airport on the fateful day lasted about 30 minutes.
• An earlier one had been held at the minister’s Harambee House office two days before the crash.
• Prof Saitoti’s bodyguard, Inspector Samuel Topoika, told how at the 11th hour, the Police Airwing commandant “ordered” him not to accompany Prof Saitoti.

Former Internal Security Minister George Saitoti held two closed-door meetings with former US ambassador Johnny Carson before the June 10 crash that claimed his life, an inquest has heard.

A meeting at the Wilson Airport on the fateful day lasted about 30 minutes. An earlier one had been held at the minister’s Harambee House office two days before the crash.

Saying “God saved me from the fateful trip”, Prof Saitoti’s bodyguard, Inspector Samuel Topoika, told how at the 11th hour, the Police Airwing commandant “ordered” him not to accompany Prof Saitoti and instead assigned a junior officer, Sgt Thomas Murimi.

“I had been the minister’s bodyguard since 1999,”  Mr Topoika said during cross-examination by the Saitoti family lawyer, Mr Fredrick Ngatia.

He said on June 8, Prof Saitoti held a private meeting with Mr Carson and later left for Mombasa on a KQ flight.

“While in Mombasa, the minister told me we would be travelling to Ndhiwa on June 10 so there should be no appointments at the weekend,” Mr Topoika said.

“On June 10, I woke up around 6.30am and drove to Lavington shopping centre for breakfast. I got a call from Sgt Kenduiwyo, who was also one of the minister’s escorts, who told me the minister was on his way to Wilson. I asked whether Inspector Tonkei was there and he said yes.”

He said he then joined the minister’s entourage at Wilson where “we found six people, among them Mr Carson.” The witness said after exchanging greetings, they left Prof Saitoti and Mr Carson in the VIP lounge.

“Inspector Tonkei walked to the helicopter carrying the minister’s briefcase,” Mr Topoika said.

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After sometime, Prof Saitoti came out of the VIP lounge and asked about his assistant, Mr Orwa Ojodeh. He said Inspector Tonkei called Mr Ojodeh on his mobile and was told he would be there in five minutes.

He said that when Mr Ojodeh arrived, he led them to the helicopter where “we met Tonkei with the commandant of the Police Airwing.”

“The commandant greeted the ministers and they boarded. I went round to board, but the commandant said I should be changed because of my weight. Sgt Murimi was then called and they took off,” he said.