Police have investigated and cleared a farm belonging to businessman and politician Jimmy Wanjigi in the dumping of Juja Member of Parliament George Koimburi, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has said.
According to IG Kanja, an investigation into the Ruirua Coffee Farm in Kiambu County, where the MP is said to have been dumped, has resulted in conflicting reports. The farm is said to be owned by Wanjigi.
In a comprehensive statement on Tuesday, Kanja revealed more findings from investigations, a day after a video of Koimburi looking dazed on the ground hit the internet.
The police boss revealed in the statement that officers visited the farm, where the circulating video of Koimburi lying on the ground was allegedly taken.
The visit revealed glaring inconsistencies. Police say that, upon closer comparison of the vegetation on Wanjigi's farm and the road layout in the viral video, police concluded that the video was not filmed at the reported location.
"Police officers from Juja swiftly responded, visiting the alleged scene and thoroughly documenting the area. Upon comparing the vegetation and road dimensions at the scene with those in the video, it was established that the two did not match," NPS said in a statement on Tuesday, May 27.
The statement went on, "During questioning, the caretaker of the coffee farm, which is owned by one Jimmy Wanjigi, stated that he had not witnessed such an incident."
Further, while initial reports claimed Koimburi was located by a random bystander, findings from the investigations revealed the lawmaker was ferried to a medical facility using his own car by a woman said to be the first responder.
More questions were raised by authorities after the hospital, which first received Koimburi after he was dumped, failed to disclose particulars of the first-aid treatment he received, raising doubts about whether he was tortured.
IG Kanja insisted the case was being handled with professionalism, adding that all leads would be pursued and forensic evidence analysed to establish the circumstances which led to Koimburi's current predicament.
As of Tuesday, May 27, the Juja MP was recuperating at Karen Hospital, with opposition leaders led by Rigathi Gachagua claiming the MP had been subdued by a chemical which rendered him unable to speak.
While IG Kanja did not explicitly dispute the Koimburi's forced disappearance claims, he doubled down on the fact that the legislator was fully aware that authorities were hot on his heels over a land case.
"Additionally, it is important to note that Hon. George Koimburi has been under investigation for a land fraud case, and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) had already issued consent for his prosecution," the NPS added.
