Slain pilot’s former wife, uncle arrested

The murder of former Kenya Air Force captain David Macharia last Thursday took a new twist after detectives locked up his former wife and maternal uncle for questioning.

One of his cars, a firearm, title deeds and other important documents are missing from his residence.

The pilot is also said to have quarrelled with his elder son, only identified as Brian, two days before his murder.

On the same day, Brian called a relative and informed her of the quarrel and also asked for his father’s insurance details.

Lang’ata OCPD Titus Yoma on Sunday said the uncle, Mr Andrew Ng’ang’a Wanjukira, who is the Thika branch ODM chairman, and Ms Joyce Wanjiku Kingaara had been arrested in connection to the murder linked to a tussle over the pilot’s property.

Detectives were trying to link last year’s visit, by the two to Mr Macharia’s house to collect some documents, to the murder. So far, the suspects’ mobile phones have been confiscated for analysis.

By Sunday, police had not recovered one of the pilot’s vehicles, a Toyota Hilux, which went missing from the compound last Thursday night.

FEMALE SUSPECT

“We got the report of the missing vehicle however we are yet to find it. The vehicle’s particulars have been circulated to the relevant agencies,” said Mr Yoma. He was also a licensed gun holder but police did not find his firearm.

The OCPD however said that he was not aware that the pilot had a firearm. The law requires that when a person in lawful possession of a small arm dies, the immediate next of kin is expected to inform the local police who will in turn surrender it to the Central Firearms Bureau.

However, when a family member desires to possess the firearm, he or she will apply as required by law.

The female suspect, Ms Kingaara, was married to the late captain after he separated from his first wife. However in December 2012, Ms Kingaara and the deceased also separated after about ten years.

In March last year, the pilot fell sick and was admitted at the Karen hospital. Both the suspects went to his residence in Hardy to collect his National Hospital Fund (NHIF) card but they found his former wife, Margaret Njeri whom he had separated with for over twenty years, inside the house cooking.

Ms Njeri was later married to a white man and they are staying together in Nairobi. They quarrelled and left Ms Njeri in the house.

Mr Macharia, who had been staying alone, was last seen at the Red Cube club, in the company of his former wife Margaret’s sister. The attackers had said that they wanted Sh3million from the deceased.

They however later told the family that they had recovered part of the money through some items they had picked from the house. “We only need Sh50,000 for facilitation before we kill him,” said one of the callers. They were using the number 0755609679.

The situation worsened after Ms Njeri told the police that the two suspects in custody were linked to the missing documents at the pilot’s house.

“They separated about 25 years ago and it is strange that she knows that the documents are missing. He never lived there,” said one of the family members.

Mr Macharia, 50, retired from the military before he became a commercial pilot at the Wilson Airport.