ID ‘led police’ to confessed killer
What you need to know:
- Scrutiny of the transaction showed that the kidnapped child’s father, Mr Samuel Muiruri, sent money through M-Pesa to a Mr Henry Kanga’ra on April 24 and 25, 2010, and the money was promptly transferred to Mr Onyancha’s account.
- Mr O’miriera said that without the loss of the ID, Mr Onyancha might not have been caught.
- “I have no idea how the account was opened, I have not owned a cell phone number 0717 919100 which received the money and sent to Onyancha,” said the witness.
- Mr Kang’ara said he replaced cell phone number 0720 820670 after the carjacking and has never used it to send money to Mr Onyancha.
A carjacking in which a commuter was robbed of personal effects including his national identity card led to the arrest of self-confessed serial killer Phillip Onyancha.
According to Prosecutor Moses O’miriera, Mr Onyancha would still be roaming the streets a free man.
He told a trial court Tuesday that the ID that was stolen in Nairobi was used to open an M-Pesa account to which ransom money was sent. Mr Onyancha is accused of kidnapping and murdering a seven-year-old child.
The prosecutor was leading the owner of the lost ID, Mr Henry Mungai Kang’ara in evidence when Mr Onyancha’s trial resumed at the High Court on Tuesday.
Mr O’miriera said that without the loss of the ID, Mr Onyancha might not have been caught.
“I have no idea how the account was opened, I have not owned a cell phone number 0717 919100 which received the money and sent to Onyancha,” said the witness.
He recounted how he was travelling in a matatu on December 19, 2009, when three armed carjackers struck and robbed passengers, leading to the loss of his ID.
RANSOM MONEY
“Someone opened an account in his name and received ransom money which was transferred to the accused within a fraction of a minute,” said the prosecutor.
Scrutiny of the transaction showed that the kidnapped child’s father, Mr Samuel Muiruri, sent money through M-Pesa to a Mr Henry Kanga’ra on April 24 and 25, 2010, and the money was promptly transferred to Mr Onyancha’s account.
The child’s father had told the court that he made ransom payments twice after receiving calls with instructions on the M-Pesa account purported to belong to Mr Kang’ara before it was transferred to Mr Onyancha.
Mr Kang’ara yesterday denied knowing the child’s father. He also denied knowing Mr Onyancha and the two suspected accomplices with whom he faces the murder charge.
“The said cell phone number 0717 919100 received a transfer of Sh4,000 on April 25 as per this Safaricom print-out which was deposited at 16:56 hours and transferred to Mr Onyancha’s cell number 0712 183747 at the same 16:56 hours,” said the witness.
He said he did not know of Mr Onyancha’s existence until the court proceedings requiring him to give evidence began.
Mr Kang’ara said he replaced cell phone number 0720 820670 after the carjacking and has never used it to send money to Mr Onyancha.
“I lost it on December 19, 2009 when we were carjacked... the SIM card in the transaction is not mine, only my ID — which I had also lost — was used to open the account. I do not know that number, I have never opened this account, the Kang’ara who was demanding money was unknown to me,” said Mr Kang’ara.
The proceedings resume today.
