My slain husband was not a gangster, wife tells court

The widow of a suspected bank robber on Tuesday told a Nairobi court that her husband was not a notorious and most wanted gangster.

The slain man Wycliffe Vincent Owuor, who was a suspect in Sh72 million heist, was allegedly killed by police officers in Kayole, Nairobi in 2020.

Testifying against six police officers charged with murdering Owuor the widow, Dorcas Wamaitha Ngugi, told Justice Mugure Thande worked in a city hospital.

Wamaitha said she was shocked when she saw a photograph of her slain husband lying beside a pistol and a knife where he was gunned down on May 24, 2020.

“Did you know that your husband had a pistol and was gunned down by police when he dared them when challenged to surrender,” defence lawyer asked Dorcas during cross examination.

Wamaitha responded: “What I can see in the photo is a semblance of a gun. I never saw Vincent with any gun at our matrimonial homes in Thika and Nairobi. He was not an armed robber." 

Cross-examined further Dorcas said she came to know her late husband was suspected of engaging in robbery when he was arrested in Kendu Bay with Sh7million which was allegedly part of the Sh72 million that was stolen from Standard Chartered Bank in 2020.

“I put it to you your deceased husband was a most wanted notorious gangster who engaged in capital offences,” the lawyer asked Wamaitha.

In response Wamaitha said: “My late husband never told me he was a robber. All I know is that he used to work in a city hospital and a was good man. Men never disclose how they earn their money.”

She further added, “ No single man can confess to his wife he is a robber.They never disclose their side hustles.”

Cross-examined further, Wamaitha said the deceased had kidnapped his Uncle before he was rescued by police. But she said he informed her they had differed over some money.

She stated she never knew her late husband had been living at Buruburu Police Lines with a policeman for four years before they moved to Thika.

Dorcus told Justice Thande that whenever her husband was not in Nairobi he was with his mother at Kendu bay within Homa Bay County and he would call her to speak to her mother-in-law.

Pressed further by the defence lawyers to confess the criminal life of her deceased husband Dorcus declined to divulge any further information saying he was caring and a good soulmate.

But Omari explained to her that her husband had several identifications since when he secured employment at the city health facility he identified himself as Vincent Oduor.

But when he was killed his real name emerged to be Wyclife Vincent Owuor.

The widow however said her husband was acquitted in the Sh72million bank heist thereby depicting that he was an innocent person.

Dorcus told the judge on May 24, 2020 he visited the scene of shooting and saw blood cover with soil.

She further went to the Citi Mortuary where she identified the body with a bullet hole in the neck and chest.

She identified the clothes he was wearing when he left their Thika home to Nairobi on the fateful day.

“Your husband had fled Nairobi because he was fearing for his life since he was a most sought gangster by crime detectives,” Omari asked Dorcus.

“We moved to Thika since police had threatened him. He was fearing for his life. Immediately he arrived in Nairobi he was killed,” Dorcus said.

The officers have denied murdering Owuor on May 24,2020. They are out on bond.

The deceased had been charged alongside Chris Ayienda, Duncan Kaveshe, Boniface Mutua, Alex Mutuku and Francis Muriuki in the bank heist.

The hearing of murder case continues.

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