• Chief Inspector Peter Maina of DCI says the state was complainant, not Kibicho
• Denies that Kibicho ever contacted him while he conducted investigations
Image: ENOS TECHE
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations on Tuesday contradicted itself in the alleged fake assassination letter involving Deputy President William Ruto, saying Interior PS Karanja Kibicho was never a complainant in the case.
Chief Inspector Peter Maina of DCI told Nairobi chief magistrate Martha Mutuku it was not true that the complaint was by Kibicho, contradicting a statement of investigating officer Yvonne Anyango on Monday.
Anyango had told the court that Kibicho was one of the complainants but his name was dropped because it was found to be unnecessary.
“To my knowledge, I was instructed by the DCI George Kinoti to investigate the letter and the PS has never been a complainant but the state is the complainant,” Maina told the court.
He also denied that Kibicho ever contacted him while he conducted investigations.
The lead investigator was testifying in a case in which State House Digital Communications director Dennis Itumbi is charged with making a false document without authority and publishing a false statement.
Itumbi is charged alongside Samuel Gateri. He is also charged with reprogramming a mobile phone.
According to the charge sheet, Itumbi intentionally interfered with the operation of the mobile phone, a Samsung Note 9, while he was not its manufacturer.
When asked by Itumbi’s lawyer Katwa Kigen whether the DCI recorded a statement from Itumbi, Maina said Itumbi opted to remain silent.
The officer also confirmed that Itumbi was not one of the administrators of the Tanga Tanga WhatsApp group where the letter was allegedly posted by Itumbi.
The investigator told the court that he did not know when the letter came into existence.
Maina said Gateri was arrested after intelligence reports revealed that he was the first person who posted the letter on Facebook and that he was a prosecution witness before he was later charged.
“When we questioned him, he said that he got it from Tanga Tanga movement where it had been posted,” Maina told the court.
The officer also confirmed that Itumbi’s phone did not have the letter.
“Itumbi after posting reprogrammed his phone and that's why the phone did not have the said letter,” he told the court.
The officer, however, confirmed that the forensics report did not indicate that the phone was reprogrammed.
Maina denied the DCI arrested Gateri following an application he made in court indicating that he was coerced into signing an affidavit.
He said they charged Gateri after further investigation revealed that he published the alleged fake letter.
“The report is not in court but the investigating officer has captured it in his statement,” he told the court.
The case proceeds today with two witnesses expected to testify.