Press charges against Pastor Ng’ang’a, now Boinnet asks Tobiko

Police now believe that Pastor James Ng’ang’a was behind the wheel of the vehicle that killed Mercy Njeri in Limuru on July 26.

They have also dismissed Mr Simon Kuria, who presented himself as the driver of a Range Rover, registration number KCD 060Q, when it collided head-on with a Nissan car, registration number KBZ 709W, at Manguo in Limuru, Kiambu County.

Ms Njeri’s husband, who was driving, was injured in the horrific crash.

Police have recommended that Pastor Ng’ang’a of the Neno Evangelism Centre in Nairobi be charged with causing death through dangerous driving, failing to report an accident and driving a vehicle without valid insurance.

It is not clear how the police propose to deal with the monumental conspiracy to conceal the pastor’s alleged crime that saw police officers mislead Inspector-General Joseph Boinnet that the pastor was not at the scene of the accident.

An internal investigation concluded that officers tampered with evidence by forging a seized vehicle register and likely uttered a fake inspection report for the Range Rover, which they hurriedly released to the alleged owner.

NOT INVOLVED

Pastor Ng’ang’a has maintained that he was innocent, that he was not at the scene of the accident and that those linking him with the accident are fighting his church. He has prayed for the early death of all those linking him to the accident.

Yesterday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery said police had presented a watertight case against the controversial Pastor Ng’ang’a, adding that the Inspector-General had already forwarded the police file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and was confident Mr Keriako Tobiko, the DPP, would concur with their recommendations.

The file was sent to the DPP’s office after investigators from the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and Traffic headquarters finalised their investigations.

Police launched fresh investigations after an initial brief to the police boss exonerating the pastor from any wrongdoing generated a public outcry.

A day after the crash, Mr Kuria presented himself to the Tigoni Police Station and claimed that he was the driver of the Range Rover. He, however, did not present any medical notes from a doctor showing that he was treated at any hospital.

Investigators, in their report, termed Mr Kuria “an imposter” and have recommended that he be charged with conspiracy to defeat justice and giving false information to the police.

THREE WITNESSES

In the case against Pastor Ng’ang’a, the prosecution will rely on three witnesses who recorded statements with the police and confirmed that he was at the scene.

They told the police that they arrived at the scene shortly after the crash and saw the pastor. One of them told the investigators that he even talked to him.

On Thursday last week, Pastor Ng’ang’a, who had earlier been questioned by Traffic Commandant Charlton Muriithi, was quizzed for another four hours.

The State, through the police, intends to withdraw charges against Mr Kuria.

In another case, the DPP is also expected to make a decision on the case involving Bishop Thomas Wahome of Helicopter Ministries, who knocked down and killed a man in Othaya on June 24.

Mr Muriithi told the Nation that the file on Bishop Wahome had been forwarded to the DPP’s offices in Nyeri. “The DPP’s office is to advise on the way forward once they (the police in Othaya) forward the file to him for advice.

It’s procedure as his office has to study the file,” said the traffic police boss.

REACHED AGREEMENT

In that case, the concern had been that the police had closed the case after the family of Godfrey Mwaniki asked them to stop pursuing it because they had reached an agreement with Bishop Wahome, who has confirmed that he was involved in the accident and had entered into an agreement with the family.

“I went and told them that nobody would want to kill another that way. This is a normal accident. They also agreed and said their brother had said he was going to have his last drink. I assisted them during the funeral arrangements,” he said.

The deal was reported to the police by Mr Mwaniki’s widow, his two sons, his father and a village elder.

Meanwhile, another team of detectives is investigating the ownership and origin of at least four other luxury vehicles linked to Mr Francis Ng’ang’a Mundia who, Mr Boinnet said, owned the car.

Records at the Kenya Revenue Authority, however, indicated that it belonged to Mr Alexander Kamweru Njenga. Mr Mundia owns a car bazaar along Valley Road.