Itumbi case: DCI seeks 256 Tangatanga WhatsApp group members

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations is seeking to record statements from 256 members of a WhatsApp group that Dennis Itumbi shared an alleged assassination letter with.

Speaking during a court session in Nairobi on Thursday where Itumbi was arraigned, the Prosecution indicated this as the reason why they want the accused detained at Kamukunji Police Station for 14 days.

“There is a phone that the accused uses and has just been taken to the cyber crime unit for further investigation,” the court was told.

His defence team however opposed this saying the rights of the accused must be upheld.

They further averred that the Prosecution is only seeking to detain the accused because he might interfere with the investigations.

According to them, since the investigations began, there has been no point where the accused has reached out to witnesses.

It was also noted that Itumbi did not create the Tangatanga WhatsApp group that is under investigation, neither is he an administrator.

“He is just a member…The group has members of parliament, senators and governors people of more significance than the accused,” his lawyers said.

“Your honour you are being invited to the division between one side of the political divide called Tangatanga and one that the investigators belong to called Kieleweke,” the advocate added.

The team is instead seeking that Itumbi be detained at either Kileleshwa or Muthaiga Police Station because according to them Kamukuji is worse and in a ‘degenerated’ station.

The team also questioned why the DCI is yet to record statements from the said 256 Whatsapp group members yet they have been investigating the matter since June 20.

Dennis Itumbi was arrested on Wednesday afternoon within the Nairobi city centre by detectives from the Flying Squad.

It is alleged that he and a another aide of DP William Ruto are linked to a letter that was circulated alleging an assassination plot.

The DCI with the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigations discovered that the letter originated from a cyber cafe in Nairobi’s Lang’ata estate.