Former bank robber turned author John Kiriamiti has clarified reports that he was seeking the Muranga Senatorial seat on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party ticket.
A poster showing Kiriamiti vying for the Muranga Senatorial seat under the UDA party has been shared widely on social media platforms over the past two weeks.
However, in a statement seen by Kenyans.co.ke, the celebrated author debunked the rumours of him joining the party led by Deputy President William Ruto affiliated.
The reformed convict added that he had reported the malicious poster which included a fake slogan that purported that he supported theft.
The Murang'a native alluded that authorities would take up the matter in abid to find the perpetrator behind the widespread posters.
“Whoever did this without my consent will have to pay for it one way or another. I am not interested in any political seat and I am not a UDA member. I reported this case to the authorities but I want to find myself before the former.
“Whoever it is will then know what if means when ‘they’ say choices have consequences. To all the friends who have called me to confirm whether it is true. You now know,” he stated.
Kiriamiti has been a force in Murang'a - with the residents pushing him to vie for an elective seat within the county. Kiriamiti has, however, shied away from the political limelight to date .
Born in the 1950s, Kiriamiti was one of the notorious bank robbers in Kenya's nascent years - even coming up with heist techniques that continue to be used to date.
Some of the bank robberies were so daring that the then Attorney General Charles Njonjo made robbery with violence a capital offence through the Criminal Law (amendment) Bill of 1971.
In 1971, Kiriamiti was arrested in Nairobi's River Road and was convicted of a number of crimes including robbery with violence . He was sentenced to 28 years in prison although he spent a total of 16 years in prison
While at Naivasha Maximum Security Prison, Kiriamiti published his first book, “My life in Crime” based on the series of crimes he committed between the 1960s and the 1970s.
The book became a bestseller and is one of the most reprinted books in Kenya.He has since written other best-selling books including My Life with a Criminal, Son of Fate, among others.
The author turned away from crime and has become a leading anti-crime activist who advises the youth from engaging in crime while at the same time assisting law enforcement agencies on how criminals think and work.
