Kenya Police to interview freed British woman

Kenyan Police have named freed British tourist Judith Tebbutt the “principal witness” in a case pending before a Lamu court over her abduction last September.

Mrs Tebbutt, 56, whose husband David was shot dead during the abduction at Kiwayu Safari Village in Lamu, was released on Wednesday after seven months of captivity in Somalia.

An officer privy to the investigations told the Nation that they would interview her because her account would help them to present “tight evidence” in court.

Mrs Tebbutt arrived in Nairobi on Wednesday— the same day Lamu principal magistrate Johnstone Munguti adjourned the case to enable Mr Ali Babitu Kololo Kololo to prepare for the trial.

He is charged with two counts of robbery with violence and abduction of Mrs Tebbutt. The cases will be heard on April 2 and 9, and on May 25 to 27, this year.

Police said they would, however, not rush to interview Mrs Tebbutt until an expert confirms that “she is psychologically prepared.”

“We hope to get as much information as possible from her and many others,” said the officer, who sought anonymity as he is not authorised to divulge the information.

The prosecution has listed 25 witnesses, excluding Mrs Tebbutt, and is expected to table more than 300 pages of statements, among them ballistic reports compiled by Kenyan and British investigators.

Mrs Tebbutt was released after a Sh90.2 million ransom negotiated by contacts in Kenya, Somalia and Britain was paid.

Meanwhile, the Kenyan Government has remained non-committal on whether it played any role in Mrs Tebbutt’s release.

Internal Security minister George Saitoti on Thursday refused to deny or confirm that the government played a key role in the release of the British woman.

“We cannot give certain information that would be used by enemies of peace to further their destruction,” he said, adding that Mrs Tebbutt’s release was a success of the ongoing operation to make Somalia a peaceful country.