A police informer, the fifth accused in lawyer Willie Kimani's murder case, confessed on Friday, December 17, that his earlier statement on the case was done under duress.
Peter Ngugi, who appeared before Justice Jessie Lessit for the second day, was cross-examined by the prosecution after providing details that he did not include in his initial confession.
Ngugi told the court that on the night of June 23/24, 2016, the accused parties went for a drinking spree in Fredrick Leliman's bar in Mlolongo after reportedly killing lawyer Willie Kimani, his client Josephat Mwenda and taxi driver Joseph Muiruri.
Leliman, an AP officer, is the first accused person in the murder case.
"At the bar, two madams were serving the drinks. One of the women was Leliman's wife," he stated contradicting a statement that had been made earlier by Leliman's wife.
The wife had told the court that on the said day, together with her husband, they closed earlier and went home to watch the 9 pm news and never left the house.
In addition, Ngugi narrated he had been asked to spy on an alleged thief that was attending a case at the Mavoko law courts in Athi River, Machakos County.
The court heard that the thief was pointed out to him at the law courts and he was asked to monitor his movements. The word thief was used as a coded language to identify their target.
"They said that the three were car thieves," Ngugi told the court.
Ngugi followed their movements and after the court case, Mwenda and Kimani boarded a taxi driven by Muiruri.
The fifth accused would then board a vehicle that drove after the trio until they got to a railway crossing and were kidnapped and bundled in a vehicle.
They would then be bundled into a car and driven to Syokimau AP Camp where they were bludgeoned to death. Their bodies would then be stuffed in gunny bags.
Ngugi would then be contacted and asked to take the former police officers to Thika. Before that, however, he was asked to pass by the river where they dumped the bags.
“Did you ask Kamenchu why he wanted you to take him to Thika? Were you a prisoner?” the prosecution officer probed.
“I did not ask him. Police officers are a hard nuts to crack. It is they who ask questions not the vice-versa,” Ngugi responded.
