The family of the late Nyeri Governor Wahome Gakuru has questioned the hurried burial of the county boss.
The Daily Nation reported that during an inquest hearing that was held on September 25, 2019, Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Peter Mailanyi and the family representative Martha Waweru raised the concerns.
Wachira Keen, who gave his testimony, claimed that Deputy President William Ruto ordered the commencement of the funeral plans after the governor body was transferred to Lee Funeral Home.
“Keen testified that the politicians held an informal meeting at Serena Hotel Nairobi to start the funeral arrangements, in accordance with Mr Ruto’s directive,” the newspaper published.
“Why was there a hurry to bury daktari (Governor Gakuru) and start the plans even before his body got cold?” asked the family representative.
The witness explained that when they started they commenced the meetings, chaired by Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, they did not suspect any sinister motive.
Keen’ whose Toyota Prado had carried Governor Gakuru to hospital after the accident injured the county boss, described the DP’s order as a responsible move by the party leadership and government.
The family, through Ms Waweru, maintained that the deceased’s death could have been politically instigated
Gakuru died in a crash along the Nyeri-Nairobi Highway on the morning of November 7, 2017, while being driven to the city for a radio talk show.
During a past hearing, the driver Samuel Kinyanjui Wanyaga, recalled that the vehicle hit the guardrail, pinning the governor to his seat, after he swerved to the left to avoid a speeding lorry.
“After the airbag on my side inflated, I was unable to control the car as I was stuck. My leg remained stuck on the accelerator pedal,” he told the court.
The car had two other occupants at the time of the accident- the governor’s personal assistant Albert Kaguru and bodyguard Ahmed Abdi.
