Police now say Tharaka Nithi politician Felix Gitari whose body was found in car died by suicide

Investigators are now convinced that Tharaka Nithi politician Felix Gitari Mbiuki, 60, died by suicide after shooting himself in the head with his licensed gun.

Gitari, a former Machakos County Assembly clerk, long-serving civil servant and businessman, unsuccessfully contested the Tharaka Nithi gubernatorial seat in the last election on the Chama Cha Kazi (CCK) party ticket.

His body was found on July 18 in the driver's seat of his vehicle parked on Mati Road in Kanganga village in Embu.

"Investigations have revealed that the politician died by suicide... with his own firearm. We are now treating the matter as a suicide but not a murder," Mbeere North sub-county police boss Eric Yego told Nation.Africa.

Gitari was found bleeding from bullet wounds in his right ear and left eye, with a pistol containing eight rounds of ammunition lying next to his chest.

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Mr Yego told the Nation on Thursday that after searching the vehicle, detectives found a spent cartridge and a wallet containing Sh35,000 in his pocket.

However, there was no exit hole in the vehicle, which had its windows rolled up, raising questions.

The police report also indicates that it was Mr James Stanley Micheni, a brother of the deceased, who reported that the politician was missing.

According to the report, the deceased left his house on July 17 without stating his destination and did not return in the evening.

Concerned family members became worried when his calls went unanswered and it was during the search that they were informed that the politician's car had been spotted in Mbeere and when they rushed there they confirmed that it was indeed him.

However, family members and friends led by his wife, Beatrice Gitari, want detectives to conduct a thorough investigation to establish whether the politician died of suicide or was eliminated.

Although police have suggested that he may have killed himself as a result of depression caused by the election results, family and friends argue that even after losing the election, he continued with his charity work, including helping needy students through his Gitari Mbiuki Foundation.

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They also fail to understand why he left the Meru-Nairobi highway leading to his home and followed Mati Road.

During the funeral on Tuesday at his rural home in Kambandi area, Tharaka Nithi politicians led by Maara MP Kareke Mbiuki, his Chuka/Igambang'ombe counterpart Patrick Munene and Woman Representative Susan Ngugi also called for a serious investigation that would unearth the truth.

The leaders remembered Gitari as a peace-loving leader and a philanthropist who helped many needy people in the district through his family's charity organisation.

Before retiring to enter politics, Gitari worked as a clerk in the Machakos County Assembly and served in various capacities in Nairobi, Mombasa, Siaya, Nakuru, Chuka, Thika and Kiambu counties before devolution.

A court battle is also expected over the inheritance of his properties, which are scattered in various counties across the country.

During the burial, a woman identified as Dorothy Wanjiru sought a court order to stop the ceremony, arguing that she was Gitari's wife and that she and their two children had not been involved in the arrangements.

Chuka magistrate Duke Ochora ordered that a DNA test be carried out before the body was buried.