The 5am phone call that proved deadly for top Laikipia official
Peter Karanja Gachugia who was killed by unknown assailants two weeks ago.
Two weeks ago, around 5.30am, Peter Karanja Gachugia received a distress call, quickly dressed up and rushed to his business premises located near Ndunyu Njeru trading centre in Nyandarua County.
His wife could overhear her husband being urged to hurry up.
The agitated caller informed him that there was a commotion inside his newly opened bar.
Thugs posing as police officers had raided the premises, with one wearing an outfit similar to one used by a well-known security company.
Mr Gachugia sped off in his vehicle, promising to return. It was never to be.
The trader was unlucky. The thugs lay in wait and spotted the owner stop outside the gate. “He was ushered in by the thugs and after he stepped out of his vehicle, one of them hit him on the back of the head, sending him to the ground,” said a worker.
“He sustained serious head injuries but they dragged him into one of the rooms and put him on a chair before ransacking the premises, stealing crates of beer and TV sets.”
They sped off in a getaway car that was parked inside the spacious premises. The other two employees escaped unhurt.
Dr Kuria Gachugia, describing the sequence of events, said his brother later passed out and was rushed to North Kinangop Hospital before he was transferred to Coptic Hospital in Nairobi, where he succumbed to his injuries a day later.
“He suffered serious injuries in the morning attack and could not survive,” he said.
Condole with the bereaved family
Villagers trooped the family home in Ndunyu Njeru on Friday November 4, 2022, to condole with the bereaved family, braving incessant evening showers with dark clouds hanging in the sky.
The father of three was laid to rest later that day, with questions lingering on the motive of the brutal attack.
Dr Gachugia said his brother, who until his demise was the director of agriculture in Laikipia County, might have fallen victim to lethal business rivalry.
“They only targeted my brother. Remember he was telephoned … Who wanted him dead and why?” he said.
Mr Gachugia opened the ultramodern drinking joint only a few weeks before he met his death, with people who knew him saying the business had picked up fast, fuelling rivalry.
But North Kinangop sub-county Police Commander Edward Kangara said they had not established the motive of the attack, adding that investigations were underway.
“We are yet to find out the motive of the attack. We have three people in custody who are assisting with investigations,” Mr Kangara said.
“We want to have a watertight case after being allowed by the court to detain the suspects for at least 14 more days.”
Investigators said they were analysing phone data and calls made at the scene of the attack to help crack what the family believes was a well-planned murder.
“We are looking at all the theories, including the family claims. Business rivalry or a robbery incident,” Mr Kangara added.
Among those in police custody is an employee who called his boss and a worker at the premises at the time of the attack.
Mr Gachugia’s longtime friend, Dr Simon Kanyingi, called on the police to conduct a thorough probe.
“It seems there was an ulterior motive. What happened was not a ‘normal robbery’, luring him to a place of work is very suspicious,” he said.
