Oku Kaunya’s differences with Kinuthia Mbugua started after then President Mwai Kibaki’s controversial re-election in December 2007.
Three months earlier, Internal security PS Francis Kimemia, had promoted Kaunya to senior deputy commandant 1, putting him in the same rank as that of Mbugua, who was the AP commandant.
In fact, it was Mbugua who forwarded to Kaunya the promotion letter from Kimemia, adding his own congratulatory messages to his deputy.
But the problem started when the two of them met for the first time during the 2007 Jamhuri celebrations where they both wore uniforms bearing the same rank.
It triggered off a series of problems which characterised the relationship between the two and culminated with Kaunya escaping into exile as threats to his life persisted.
If there was anything amis, Mbugua did not show it as he was preparing to retire at the beginning of 2008.
But according to Kaunya, Kibaki’s re-election gave Mbugua the impetus to hang on as the AP boss, advancing all manner of excuses, including alleged fear-mongering. Mbugua disapproved of his deputy’s promotion in 2008 even though the letter of Kaunya’s promotion, was authored in November 2007.
The promotion precipitated an “insignia clash” with the AP chief alleging insubordination by his deputy.
Kaunya was sent to Thailand on official duty when the Waki Commission was collecting information on post-election violence.
On return, he was sent on study leave at the National Defence College (NDC) in Karen, Nairobi. He was then redeployed to Kisumu as the deputy provincial commissioner, eight months before he could graduate from the NDC.
Some of the threats to Kaunya were in the form of text messages, one of which warned of his imminent death and that of his driver and bodyguard.
Kaunya had been informed of a squad of AP officers having been dispatched from Nairobi to Kisumu on unspecified “operation” duties.
At that time in 2010, his wife stated that neither the exact mission of the operation nor the names of the officers involved in this exercise was clear .
During the recent interview with the Star, Kaunya insisted that Mbugua had invoked the use of the “ICC witness tag” against him, as a desperate attempt to stop him from succeeding him at the AP.
When reached for comment, Nakuru Governor Kinuthia Mbugua’s phones were off. However, his county director of communication Eddy Kimani refused to respond to Kaunya’s claims, saying the allegations had nothing to do with his boss’ role as governor.