Revealed: Sleuths had found ‘missing’ car before Pakistani journalist was shot dead

Pakistani news anchor Arshad Sharif

The late Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif. He was shot dead at a police roadblock on the Nairobi-Magadi road. 

Photo credit: Aamir Qureshi | AFP

Fresh details have now emerged on the death of Pakistan journalist Mr Arshad Sharif who was allegedly shot dead by officers attached to the General Service Unit (GSU) who were manning a roadblock along Magadi Road in Kajiado.

By the time Mr Sharif was being shot dead, sleuths attached to Pangani police station had already recovered a Mercedes Benz registration number KDJ700F that had been reported missing on Sunday, October 23, 2022, by a man identified as Mr Douglas Wainaina Kamau.

In a statement penned by the father concerning the matter and which is in our possession, by 9:30pm, Mr Kamau had been reunited with his son at Total Petrol Station in Kiserian.

This was 30 minutes before Mr Sharif was shot dead and a report filed at the Magadi Police Station.

The vehicle had been reported missing at Pangani Police Station a few minutes past 7:20pm and it was recorded under Occurrence Book (OB) number 70/23/10/2022.

The details of the report show that Mr Kamau had gone to Ngara market and left his son inside the vehicle but when he returned, he never found him. The car was also missing.

“I then requested to see the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) who then referred my matter to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) for immediate action,” Mr Kamau said.

It is then that Mr Kamau was accompanied by two DCI officers only identified as Mr Kaberia and Mr Obiero to trace the vehicle.

They then went towards Kiserian where the signal of the vehicle showed it was heading to and at 9:30pm the son identified as Duncan Wainaina Kamau who had ignored his calls for more than two hours called him and informed him that he was safe.

Registration number KDG200M

When asked where he was, Duncan said that he had only decided to rush and see his wife and mother.

The father then told him to drive to Total Petrol Station in Kiserian and in a few minutes the son had already arrived. Police ordered them to drive back to Pangani Police Station.

Back to Ammodump Kwenia, Mr Khurram Ahmed and the slain journalist were already on their way to Nairobi driving in a Toyota Land cruiser of registration number KDG200M.

As they approached the busy Magadi Road, police say, they spotted a roadblock erected using stones and when flagged to stop, they defied and drove off at high speed which led to the shooting.

Mr Sharif was in the process shot dead and Mr Khurram decided to inform his brother known as Waqar what had transpired.

He told him to drive to his home as he lived in Tinga which is near the scene of the accident.

As this was happening Mr Kamau, his missing son and the officers arrived at Pangani Police Station at 11pm and the son was arrested.

“The officers explained to me that they had to detain my son and the vehicle since it was already late and I had to report the following day and record a statement,” he said.

The son was booked under OB number 90/23/10/2022.

The following day, Monday, October 24, 2022, he recorded a statement with an investigating officer known as Mr Munene and the son was also asked to record his side of the story.

Meanwhile, news of the death of the investigative Pakistani journalist had spread like wildfire across the world.

That morning, Mr Kamau said that he would like to drop the charges but Mr Munene said that he had to consult with his seniors first.

“After a while, Mr Munene got back to me and informed me that my request had been declined since there had been a shootout and loss of life within the vicinity where my vehicle was being traced and due process had to be conducted,” he said.

That is how the officer went ahead and prepared a charge sheet.

The following day Tuesday, October 25, 2022, the son was arraigned at a court in Makadara.