Bethuel Kiplagat dies with a dark tag: The Wagalla Massacre

Ambassador Bethuel Kiplagat died on Friday, July 14, 2017 aged 81.

The former civil servant served in many senior positions including representing Kenya in Diplomatic Mission as an Envoy in France and the United Kingdom.

During his tenure as the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation during retired President Daniel Arap Moi’s regime, a massacre in which hundreds of civilians were killed in Wajir County, while others were tortured during a security crackdown, occurred and he was linked into it.

He denied involvement but later conceded that he was in a delegation that toured the region then.

Amb. Kiplagat also sat in the Kenya Intelligence Committee that has been adversely mentioned in planning the massacre.

In August 2016, Kiplagat wrote to the Director of Public Prosecutions to carry out fresh investigation into the matter.

However, he died before he could clear his name from any involvement in the Massacre.