Top official implicated in Baragoi killings

The ghost of Baragoi has returned to haunt senior government officials and police commanders in an explosive report over the massacre.

The report was released on Friday by the Ombudsman and contains a letter by disgraced former Rift Valley Police Commander John M’Mbijiwe to the Commission on Administrative Justice who links the officials to the murky world of dangerous criminals.

While seeking to exonerate himself over the 2012 killings in Baragoi, Samburu County, where 40 officers were shot dead by bandits, the former officer sensationally mentioned the widely publicised bank robbery in Nakuru and linked his then bosses to the gangsters.

“I wish also to state that my relationship with Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere, Director of Criminal Investigations Ndegwa Muhoro and (then) Head of Public Service Francis Kimemia deteriorated on October, 22, 2013.

“A prominent businessman from Karatina, Nyeri, Mr Gikandi Maina, was shot dead by two robbers after a bank robbery at Barclays Bank in Nakuru where over Sh500 million was to be stolen,” the letter says.

ITEERE NOT HAPPY

It adds: “The Nakuru Officer Commanding Police Division’s team killed the robbers inside the bank and recovered a Ceska pistol will less than five (rounds) of ammunition.

“I informed Mr Iteere and he casually told me ‘sawa tu,’ meaning he was not happy... I later came to learn the robbers who were killed were friends to Mr Kimemia, Mr Muhoro and Mr Iteere.”

Mr Mbijiwe further claims as a result, he was taken to court on made up charges and the infamous Waiganjo saga was just a scapegoat by the “big three.”

Mr Joshua Waiganjo was last week found guilty by a Nyeri court of impersonating a police officer and obtaining money by pretence.

He had, since 2003, been working as a police reservist of the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police.

The report, “Caring For The Protector”, also contains a letter to Mr Waiganjo in which then Rift Valley police boss, Mr Peter Kimanthi, appointed him an Assistant Commissioner of Police, and copied it to former police chief Edwin Nyaseda.

Mr Mbijiwe’s later is dated October 22, this year.

DO NOT MENTION ME

The letter also said: “Immediately Waiganjo was arrested, Mr Iteere called me and told me please my brother please, I beseech you, do not mention me with Waiganjo because the government has promised me a parastatal job.

“And true to his word he was appointed chairman of Nyayo Tea Zones before President Kibaki retired, a position he is holding to date.”

The report was released by the commission’s chairman Otiende Amollo in Nairobi. He said the death of the officers in Baragoi would have been prevented if the top police command observed the laid down procedures.

The slain security men, including eight reservists, were ambushed at the Suguta Valley as they pursued stolen livestock.

The report says: “There was lack of relevant information from the National Intelligence Service, lack of equipment, poor communication, deployment of 11 fresh AP graduates and presence of non-police officer, Waiganjo, who could have compromised the operation.”

The head of operation was Mr Willy Lugusa, who has been appointed Nyanza Region Commander. “Let the lies of Mr Lugusa not blind you. He should be held responsible. He failed by refusing to accompany the officers to recover the animals,” he said.