Key murder witness Omwenga ‘feared for his life’ before his death

The key witness in the murder of Nairobi businessman Kelvin Omwenga — his brother Wycliffe Omwenga, who was found dead in his house last week — lived in constant fear in the days leading to his death.

His family said he had expressed fear over his safety, which prompted him to rent a one-bedroom house in Riruta, Nairobi, away from everyone he knew.

He was found dead in the house on Wednesday last week, just a few weeks before he could testify in court in the murder trial whose hearing is scheduled for next month.

“Even there, he lived in fear, always locking the door from the inside, even when I was visiting,” a relative who requested not to be named told the Nation. When Wycliffe was found dead, his door was locked from the inside.

No report to police

The relative, however, confirmed that he had not reported his fears to the police and the Witness Protection Agency (WPA).

Wycliffe’s brother Kelvin was shot and killed in his bedroom at Galana Suites apartments in Kilimani last August. Businessman Chris Obure and his bodyguard Robert Bodo have denied killing Kelvin.

There is no evidence linking Mr Obure and Mr Bodo to Wycliffe’s death, whose cause the family will have to wait longer to know.

An autopsy conducted on his body at the Nairobi Women’s Hospital mortuary yesterday did not give conclusive results on the cause of death, as the body did not have any physical marks of injury.

“We have been told to wait for the toxicological tests to be done to get the exact cause of death. Samples have been picked for further analysis,” his relatives told journalists after they were briefed by Dr Charles Muturi, a government pathologist.

According to the Witness Protection Act, a person qualifies to be protected if he has given or agreed to give evidence on behalf of the state, has made a statement to the police or any law enforcement agency in relation to an offence against a law in Kenya, is required to give evidence before a court, commission or tribunal outside Kenya, or any other reason provided by the Act.

The act adds that the application for protection can be applied by the witness, a relative or any law enforcement agency.

However, even after Mr Obure and Mr Bodo were released on bail last year, the prosecutor handling the case and the investigating officer failed to beef up Wycliffe’s security through the WPA.