Murang'a County chiefs threatened over Kihiu Mwiri killings

County Commissioner Kula Hache has received a death threat over the killings of Kihiu Mwiri land-buying company directors.

The Christmas card with the death threat also mentioned Kangema Deputy County Commissioner Joel Cherop, District officer Lydia Munyi and Nanga Chief.

This comes only weeks after President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered the processing and issuing of title deeds at the controversial settlement scheme.

Couriers from the G4S company delivered the card on December 22, 2015.

Mr Anthony Maina Gitau was last week arraigned for sending the card and threatening the officials.

Mr Maina denied the charge and was freed on a Sh100,000 bond with surety of a similar amount.

According to the prosecution, Mr Maina blamed the administrators for not stopping the killings of directors of the land-buying company.

Also in the parcel delivered to the office of the county commissioner were photos of the murdered directors of the company.

In a phone interview with the Nation on Tuesday, Ms Hache said it could be the work of brokers and people who were uncomfortable with shareholders getting title deeds.

She said the government was working round the clock to end the problems at the company once and for all.

BLOODSHED

The county commissioner added that there was a possibility that a group of rich people could be fuelling the wrangles at the troubled firm.

Several directors and members of Kihiu land-buying company have been killed since the early 2000s.

“Issuing title deeds to shareholders will end the bloodshed we have witnessed for years. However, it seems some people who benefited from the controversy are not happy at all. We don’t know what their motives are but the government will not allow the killings to continue,” she said.

Mr Cherop said he felt threatened, adding that it was wrong for anyone to say they did nothing to stop the murders and disappearances.

“If whoever wrote the card has information, he or she should have volunteered it to the police,” he said.

Police have linked the killings to persistent disagreements among directors of the company that owns thousands of acres of land.

James Macharia, Job Mwangi and Solomon Macharia went missing on March 25, 2014 and have not been traced since.

Wilfred Gichana was shot dead on May 12, 2014 while Charles Ngugi was killed on January 18, 2015. Peter Kuria was shot dead on May 10, 2015 while Paul Muhuhi died under a hail of bullets on June 28, 2015.

Peter Kariuki went missing on July 1, 2015. Zachary Chege and Josephat Kibe were shot dead on July 29, 2015.