Leliman paid me Sh15,000 to keep silent— ex-police informer

The Willie Kimani murder trial took yet another shocking turn on Monday after former police informer Peter Ngugi revealed he was bribed with Sh15,000 last month by AP Fredrick Leliman to keep silent.

Ngugi, who has been spilling beans since last week on how the trio's 2016 gruesome murders were carried out, allegedly by police officers from Mlolongo police station, asked Justice Jessie Lessit to order Naivasha Prisons to produce a book that is used to record cash from prisoners to confirm his allegations.

Leliman allegedly gave him the money at Milimani Law court between November 1 and 12.

Ngugi further admitted that he was part of the plan to kill Willie, Josephat Mwenda and Joseph Muiruri on June 23, 2016.

Asked by justice Jessie Lessit  if he understood what he was confessing  before the court, Ngugi said, “Yes we sat together with the police officers and planned”.

Further, he maintained that he went to all the places mentioned by the prosecution as crime of scenes including Soweto area where the killings took place, Mavoko law court and at Oldonyo Sabuk River.

Ngugi, who was being cross-examined by Leliman’s lawyer Cliff Ombeta, said Leliman has been pestering him to lie in court.

"They keep talking to me while I am seated there telling me what to say and what not to say about what happened on that day," he said.

He also told the court that he was not defending himself “because I admit I sat and planned how to lie because initially police officers had promised me money, but things changed".

 “I can even bring the prison’s book that shows that Leliman paid me Sh15,000. He told me not to say anything so I kept it in my heart until when I reached the dock,” Ngugi said.

The accused further admitted that the cigarette butts recovered by investigators at Soweto field were his, adding that “I smoked a lot of cigarettes that day. I can’t remember how much because I was drunk.”

He was asked by Ombeta to confirm that the cigarette butts were recovered at the spot where the car he claims he was in and at the spot where the actual killings took place. Ngugi said that was true.

Ombeta asked him if he was the hitman of the day.

Though he claimed that Leliman was not at the spot when the three victims were killed, he swore before court that he saw Leliman at Mastermind on the night of June 23 where he is alleged to have given them money to fuel the cars that were going to dispose of the bodies of the three victims in Oldonyo Sabuk River.

On further cross examination, Ngugi admitted that he agreed to fix and fabricate the confession because investigating officers promised to give him Sh200,000 to relocate his wife’s business.

For accepting to tell a lie, he said he was also to receive a monthly stipend of Sh30,000

“Your honour I told them (police) all I knew then but Mwangi and his colleagues decided to change it and include other names,” he said.

In his earlier confession, Ngugi had narrated to police how he spied on the three victims while at Mavoko law courts and reported back to Leliman when they left court.

After they were abducted he drove their car to Kamirithu, Limuru where he disposed it and later came back and went to a bar to drink.

He told police that in the evening, Leliman was called and informed that Willie was being looked for so they went to the police post where they bundled the three in the boot of the car and went to mastermind field where they were killed.

-Edited by SKanyara