A man arrested in connection to the killing of suspected fraudster Samuel Mugoh Mugota was the driver of the getaway car used by the gunman, a police investigator told court Tuesday.
The court heard that the man, Dennis Karani Gachoki, drove the killer to and from the scene in Mirema Drive, Kasarani, Nairobi using a private car that speedily drove off after the shooting incident.
“We urge court to take judicial notice of the video clip circulating online where the gunman is seen running towards a waiting car. The Respondent (Gachoki) is the person who was behind the car,” said Corporal Kapario Lekakeny.
The clip shows the car trailing the victim. It shows a lone gunman firing six bullets at close range towards Mugotah, who was driving a Honda CRV vehicle, before running to a waiting saloon car on an adjacent road.
The investigator made the disclosure while urging court to allow police to detain Mr Gachoki for 14 days so that detectives can complete the investigations in the murder incident that occurred last week.
The application was granted since Mr Gachoki did not object granting of the custodial orders.
When asked by the court to respond, he said: “I am ready for investigations to be done”.
The officer attached to the Directorate of Criminal investigations (DCI) said Mr Gachoki is suspected to have orchestrated Mugotah’s murder together with other people.
He added that both Mr Gachoki and Mugotah were allegedly well known to each other and that they operated an elaborate stupefying syndicate within the republic.
“The murder of Mugotah is suspected to be attributed to a deal gone sour. Mr Gachoki with others not before court are believed to have premeditated the execution of Mugotah, who was their accomplice in the stupefying and fraudulent scheme,” Mr Lekakeny told the court.
The officer said that the investigators are still analysing the numerous phone numbers used by Mr Gachoki to ascertain whether he is linked with the murder.
Mr Gachoki surrendered to the DCI headquarters on Monday after the authorities issued a statement saying he was a wanted man over the shooting incident.
“Although he surrendered to the police, he failed to produce his mobile phone which is believed to possess vital information that would assist the investigators, therefore investigators require the time to travel to Nakuru and Mombasa to collect more evidence,” stated Mr Lekakeny.
According to the police, Mr Gachoki also allegedly stole a firearm from a police officer in Kasarani upon stupefying him and the said gun is yet to be recovered.
The officer further stated that the suspect has no fixed abode and is believed to reside in different places including Kiambu, Nakuru and Mombasa.
Mr Lekakeny said intend to identify the suspect’s residence to recover the stolen firearm and “other dangerous weapons suspected to be in one of the houses”.
“Mr Gachoki demonstrated to be a flight risk for failing to present himself immediately to the police even after learning that he was wanted by police through DCI Facebook wall on May 20, 2022,” the officer added.
In explaining why Mr Gachoki should be in custody, the officer stated that the investigators are yet to record statements from members of Mugotah’s family as they are still traumatized by the incident.
The case will be mentioned on June 8, 2022 to confirm whether police have completed the investigations.
