SGR employee on the spot over SIM Card traced to Willy Kimani murder scene

An employee at the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Nairobi terminus was on Tuesday put on the spot as he testified  against the five accused persons in the murder trial of lawyer Willy Kimani, his client Josephat Mwenda and taxi driver Joseph Muiruri.

The court heard that the national ID card of Moses Kariithi was used to register a new mobile phone line that was traced to the scene where Kimani, Mwenda and Muiruri were killed at Ol Donyo Sabuk.

The prosecution submitted that the said SIM card was registered on June 22, 2016 — a day before the said killings.

During cross-examination by defense lawyer Cliff Ombeta, the witness, who works at Mlolongo SGR Nairobi terminus, denied having knowledge of the said Airtel line, saying he had previously lost his national ID card twice.

He strongly dismissed allegations that he is the person by the name ‘Kamenchu’, who is said to have been with the accused persons at the murder scene.

Kamenchu’s name was adversely mentioned on Monday during the reading of a written statement confessed by Mr. Peter Ngugi, a police informer charged in the murder of Willy Kimani and two others.

The said Kamenchu has never been apprehended despite the fact that he was with Fredrick Leliman, Leonard Maina Mwangi and Peter Ngugi at the crime scene.

Meanwhile, the defence has objected to the prosecution’s plea to produce as exhibits DVDs and transcripts recorded at various scenes of the crime.

The defence says that the fifth accused person’s right to a fair hearing will be violated if the said video is accepted and played in court.

The court had been told of how the video was recorded showing all the scenes where the suspects plotted and finally dumped the bodies.

The five scenes include Mlolongo Police Station, Syokimau AP post, Ol Donyo Sabuk River and where the suspects drunk and ate after they executed the killings.

Parties will argue out the application on whether to play the DVDs and transcripts on Wednesday morning.

So far 40 witnesses have testified against the five accused persons — four AP officers — Fredrick Leliman, Stephen Cheburet, Sylvia Wanjiku, Leonard Maina Mwangi — and police informer Peter Ngugi.