Jimi Wanjigi wants to drive probe into obituary saga

Businessman Jimi Wanjigi addresses media outside the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters on February 8, 2018. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The NMG reported the matter to Central Police Station, Nairobi, and detectives are investigating it.

Tender billionaire and Nasa strategist Jimi Wanjigi has told of the anguish his family went through after his photograph appeared in a death notice published in the Daily Nation on Wednesday.

The advert was placed by a man who was captured on CCTV, in what is shaping into a carefully planned operation to plant the photo with the aim of causing suffering to the businessman and at the same time embarrass the publisher, Nation Media Group.

Describing it as a “death promise”, Mr Wanjigi said: “I don’t take it lightly and I must say it was horrific what they did.”

He went on: “If you think that is a very human thing to do then really we are in a different world. Kenya right now is going through what I would like to say is a twilight zone, anything can happen to us any time.”

INVESTIGATION
The businessman spoke at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters on Kiambu Road.

However, Mr Wanjigi has not filed a complaint with the police as he was there on a different issue.

The NMG reported the matter to Central Police Station, Nairobi, and detectives are investigating it.

Mr Wanjigi said he has consulted his lawyers. “It is a death promise. That is what it was. What action are we going to take? My lawyers are taking up this matter.”

INTENTIONAL
Mr Wanjigi revealed that NMG acting chief executive officer Stephen Gitagama visited him at his home in Muthaiga on Wednesday.

“He came to my home to apologise. I told them if you are going to be genuine about this, tell me who the individuals who received that advert are.

"If my photo was provided, my face is well known to the entire NMG. They cannot say they don’t know my face so somebody mistakenly put it,” he said, adding that those involved should have been taken to court.

Although NMG has reported the matter to police, Mr Wanjigi said he wants to drive the investigation.

“I have my own capacity and that of friends who would like to investigate this matter,” he said.