Daniel Mwangi murder: 5 accused of killing Nyeri businessman in Ksh160,000 hit take plea

By , K24 Digital
On Tue, 2 Mar, 2021 11:37 | 2 mins read
Nyeri murder suspects

By Franklin Wallah,

Five people accused of the murder of Nyeri businessman Daniel Mwangi Wangondu are set to take plea at the Nyeri High Court on Tuesday midday.

Wangondu was killed by hitmen who were allegedly hired by his father, Stephen Wang’ondu Kinini, in what detectives believe was motivated by insurance money.

Background

Last week, detectives in Nyeri, who were investigating the murder claimed that Mwangi's death may have been motivated by desire for insurance compensation.

Mwangi’s father is said to have started processing compensation claims from an insurance company a few days after the burial of his son.

Detectives were also investigating whether Wang’ondu’s decision to invite his son’s estranged wife to his house may have led to Mwangi’s killing.

The current investigation also triggered police interest in the death of Wang’ondu’s other son in 1995, after which he was allegedly paid a good amount of money by an insurance firm.

Eighteen-year-old Emmanuel Thuita Wang’ondu, then a Form Three student at Kiaganja Secondary School in Nyeri County, is said to have drowned in one of the dams in Wang’ondu’s expansive farm.

A few days after Thuita’s death, Wang’ondu is said to have lodged a compensation claim with an insurance company with which he had insured members of his family and property.

Detectives now believe Wang’ondu may have had a hand in the boy’s downing in order to get insurance compensation.

“He made millions of shillings through insurance after Emmanuel’s death. We find it ironic that he intended to use the same formula he used in the death of the other son to seek compensation after the death of Mwangi,” one of the detectives conversant with the case told People Daily.

Insurance compensation Police have reopened the investigation file on Emmanuel’s death.

In the case of Mwangi, Wang’ondu is said to have started the compensation process on January 18, 2021, barely 12 days after his son’s burial. Mwangi was killed on December 31, 2020, and was buried on January 6.

The 32-year-old Mwangi, was killed by unknown people outside his house as he returned home from a New Year’s party.

Mwangi, a businessman then dealing in agribusiness, had left his car outside his gate and jumped over the fence to open the gate from inside.

The attackers, believed to have been hiding at a bush near the house, followed Mwangi into the compound and stabbed him multiple times. His body was found later that night. Nothing was taken from Mwangi or his car.

Father’s estate

The businessman, who had a mansion on a 20-acre piece of land that was part of his father’s estate, lived about 200 metres from his father’s compound.

The 75-year-old Wang’ondu was among five people detained by detectives over Mwangi’s murder.

Detectives first arrested James Mahinda, Wang’ondu’s driver in Githurai, Kiambu County, who led them to two other suspects, Geoffrey Waturi and Eddy Kariuki Ngare in Matakani, Embu county.

Detectives believe Mahinda was instructed by Wang’ondu to eliminate Mwangi with a promised payout of Ksh160,000.

“Wang’ondu gave his driver a Ksh20,000 facilitation fee, instructing him to form a team that would execute the crime. The driver proceeded to Embu on December 31, 2020, where he picked up his accomplices, briefing them on their target, his residence, movements and the car he drove,” Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti said in a statement on Tuesday.

Kinoti added that the money may have been wired from Wang’ondu’s account. Wang’ondu is said to have had a frosty relationship with his son, Mwangi.