Incident that will haunt Kerubo for the rest of her life

Nothing will ever be able to obliterate the memory of the December 31 incident from Ms Rebecca Kerubo’s mind.

For Ms Kerubo, 33, a mother of three, the day was quite normal until around 6pm when deputy Chief Justice Nancy Baraza, hitherto unknown to her, drove into the Village Market in Nairobi in her official vehicle, a Toyota Prado registration number GK A373Y.

The DCJ was being driven by a bodyguard, Police Constable Erick Omondi.

According to Ms Kerubo, she left her house in Gachie that morning with only one thing on her mind: To carry out her duties conscientiously and ensure visitors to the mall were safe.

The mall is about 300 metres from Ms Baraza’s residence and she is a regular shopper there. During the infamous altercation, Ms Baraza is said to have advised Ms Kerubo to “know people”.

Ms Kerubo, like any other guard, is expected to have her finger on the pulse, but in this particular case, the guard did not recognise one of the country’s VIPs.

The encounter between the deputy president of the Supreme Court, whose mandate includes fighting impunity, and the security guard reminds one of the David and Goliath saga where the former, armed with only his sling and five stones, floored the giant Goliath. (READ: Guard changes tune on Baraza, insists on trial)

Just like David’s stone hit Goliath in the centre of the forehead, the altercation with Ms Kerubo delivered a huge blow to the DCJ’s public image.

Ms Baraza’s failure to restrain herself has been viewed by many as a personal character flaw.

Ms Kerubo got married to Mr Benard Ogweche Morara in 1999. Both hail from Tinga in Nyamira District, Kisii county. Mr Ogweche is a mason in the Gachie and Gigiri areas.

Ms Kerubo’s father, Mr Thadeus Bundi, was also a guard and was killed while on duty at a house in Karen in 2000. The case is still open as no one was arrested.

Ms Kerubo worked as a guard at the Numetro Cinema at the same Village Market for six years before it closed last year. In December last year, she was lucky to get another job with the mall’s security.

She told Saturday Nation that she had encountered difficult visitors but none had ever threatened her life.

“I have met difficult people who even claimed that there was no law that explicitly states that people must be searched while entering such places,” she said.

Ms Kerubo admits that she later learnt that many people, even some children, knew the DCJ but insists she did not recognise her.

The Kenya National Private Security Workers Union (KNPSWU) has said there is no law empowering a guard to search an obdurate citizen at a public or social place.

Union secretary general Isaac Andabwa said according to the statutory provisions, a search should be carried out by a police officer on reasonable suspicion.

Ms Kerubo says she would not have insisted on screening the VIP if the male bodyguard had informed her he was a police officer.