Governor Gakuru occasionally used gestures to communicate with driver

Nyeri Governor Wahome Gakuru communicated with his driver using gestures, an inquest was told on Thursday.

Gakuru also drove himself occasionally, Samuel Kinyanjui Wanyaga, who was his driver said, recalling two occasions the county boss did so.

“In the first incident, we were near Muthaiga Golf Club heading to Nyeri and the overpass was potholed and I decided to take the superhighway. The governor asked me where I was taking him and ordered me to pull over,” he said.

“Can you get out of the vehicle? I could not argue with him and so I obliged and he took over at the steering wheel,” Wanyaga quoted Gakuru as having said. 

Most of the time he received instructions from personal assistant Josephat Mwangi Maina whenever he went to collect the governor at his Ring Road residence. Maina was also in charge of the governor's security at home. 

Wanyaga denied being a careless driver during cross-examination by senior assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Peter Mailanyi.

He also denied that he was not in talking terms with the governor on cross-examination that the governor only used signs to give him instructions.

Wanyaga had worked as the driver of Gakuru's wife Catherine for two months although the couple had lived separately for five years.

Earlier, he was an ambulance driver with the Department of Health. 

He told Justice Wendy Kagendo that he was unaware that Gakuru and his wife were not in good terms. He used to pick her up at 6:30am and take her back at 5pm or 7pm and did not bother to find out why she left.

He was transferred to the county offices before being assigned to the governor in mid-October.

"I was moved due to issues of fuel as the vehicle had to be fuelled using cash and the county government feared that the issue of audit query would arise. I also had to be paid night-outs as I always slept in Nairobi."

Conflicting information 

He did not take the vehicle for servicing at DT Dobie as it was not due for service. The vehicle was in good working condition.

"On November 6, I left the governor’s place at 8:30pm in the company of Maina and we went to have the Pajero fuelled. I also ensured it was cleaned,” he said.

They were to travel (to Nairobi) in the Pajero the following day only for Maina to emerge with the Mercedes keys saying that the governor’s instructions were that they use the Benz.

They left Nyeri between 5:20am and 5:30am. 

They stopped at Skuta around 5:40am to pick up Gakuru's Personal Assistant Albert Gakuru. They were supposed to be in Nairobi by 6am. 

His statement that the Mercedes was moving at between 100 and 115km/h contradicted chase car driver Peter Mwaniki's and Maina's who said they were driving at 130km/h. 

The accident happened at 7:30am, he said after he overtook a canter. He changed lanes, so did the canter driver.

His plan was to be on a lane where the chase car driver could see them.

But as he moved to the left lane,  he heard a loud bang. 

"The governor shouted ‘God we are gone’ and as I tried to leave the road to find out what was going on, I was pushed by the canter."

The front tire hit a guard rail, inflating the airbags.

He was at a loss to explain why the vehicle stopped 68 metres from where the car hit the first guardrail, cleared 14 guardrails while the car tyre, which was ripped off, was 23.7 metres from the vehicle.

He was also put to task on why only his airbag inflated. 

Hesitant to testify 

Mailanyi recalled that the driver was hesitant to testify and did not want to meet the prosecutor, saying he feared for his life. He did not name those who were threatening him.

The threats were not reported to the police.

Lawyer Martha Waweru, for Amana Africa organisation, asked him to explain why the current governor had expressed reservations about the vehicle's condition yet he said the vehicle was in good condition. But the driver insisted it had been in good condition.

The driver said that Gakuru's life could have been saved if the rescue response was prompt. The governor was trapped in the car for 40-45 minutes.

He died on November 7, 2017, at Kabati on the Kenol-Thika Road.

Wanyaga said he was not aware of a meeting in which one of Gakuru’s chief campaigners, Kinyua Kimuri, slaughtered a goat for discontented campaigners.

This was said in court by first witness Maina on Tuesday. Kimuri has since engaged a lawyer.

The inquest continues on Friday. 

Edited by R.Wamochie 

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