NLC official’s murder probe focuses on pastor who got millions from her

Investigators hunting for the killers of National Lands Commission (NLC) communications director Jennifer Wambua believe they are close to making a breakthrough.

They have turned their attention to a pastor who was receiving millions of shilling in deposits from Wambua in the months leading to her murder.

The pastor, who has been questioned twice including once this week, is not yet a suspect, but has been unable to explain why he was receiving huge sums of money from Wambua.

Detectives have also grilled NLC acting Finance Director Bernard Cherutich seeking to know why the commission was sending large sums of money to Wambua’s personal bank account.

Wambua is said to have received two tranches of cash, including some Sh2.7 million, just a week before she was killed. She withdrew Sh2 million on March 11, a day before she disappeared.

Police believe that the Sh2 million she withdrew and the large sums of money she was receiving from NLC, including some Sh6 million, are part of the reasons why she was eliminated.

Third suspect

On Tuesday night, homicide detectives arrested a third suspect. Mr Peter Mwangi Njenga, alias Sankale, was picked up from his house in Embulbul in Ngong, Kajiado County, on Tuesday night. Embulbul is close to the spot where Wambua’s body was found in a thicket in an open field at Kerarapon.

The businessman, 41, is, according to an affidavit filed by detective Vincent Langat at the Kiambu Law Courts, among the people who were “last seen with the deceased alive.”

The suspect was, according to those privy to the investigations, identified as having been seen with Wambua, courtesy of leads arising from the interrogation of two other suspects who were arrested last week.

Presented themselves

Mr Benjamin Saitoti and Mr David Sempuan had presented themselves to Nyumba Kumi officials and elders at Kerarapon on Wednesday afternoon, saying, they had seen Wambua alive at the spot where her body was found.

Mr Saitoti is said to have told the elders that he had seen a man who bought drinking water and took it to the place where Wambua’s body was found.

He also claimed to have seen Wambua seated under the thicket where the mystery man was headed. That was on March 12, the day Wambua was last seen alive.

The elders immediately informed the DCI who came and arrested Ms Saitoti, who is a bodaboda rider and Mr Sempuan, a herder. On interrogation, the two are said to have told investigators that they had even talked with Wambua before leaving the scene at about 5pm.

It is now believed that the mystery man is Mr Njenga.

Kiambu Chief Magistrate Patricia Gichohi has granted the DCI leave to hold the three suspects in order to give them time to investigate until April 26 when the matter will be reviewed.

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