Man charged over lawyer Willie Kimani murder now claims police tricked him

A police informer charged with killing lawyer Willie Kimani and two other people now claims police officers promised to use him as a witness in the case.

Peter Ngugi Kamau on Wednesday testified that – before he was charged – police officers who testified against him promised to pay him Ksh.200,000 for his business, Ksh.30,000 monthly and give him a good house.

He narrated to the court how, during his ‘detention’, the officers attached at CID headquarters in Kiambu gave him good food and treated him as a protected witness.

Mr. Kamau told the court that although he used to sell clothes in Mlolongo, he was a police informer and related well with some of the police officers who arrested him.

He, however, denied allegations of being a form four leaver saying that when recording his statement, he stated that he was a class four drop-out.

Mr. Kamau added that he does not understand English and that he only signed the statement knowing he would be released.

He said that on August 8, 2016, he was approached by police officers as well as Flying Squad detectives well known to him and was taken to Kiambu road where he was asked if he could help the police in the case.

According to him, he was later given a statement to sign after which he was transferred to Nthithigwa in Kiambu in County where he stayed for a period of three weeks.

“I was later taken to Muthaiga Police Station where I stayed for five days waiting for police to give me a house,” said Mr. Kamau.

In the case, four Administration Police officers – Fredrick Leliman, Stephen Cheburet, Sylvia Wanjiku, Leonard Mwangi – and Mr. Kamau denied murdering human rights lawyer Willie Kimani, his client Josephat Mwenda and taxi driver Joseph Muiruri.

The three were kidnapped after leaving the Mavoko Law Courts on June 23, 2016 and were tortured before being killed.