I handed Sh1.2m to Julius Kimani’s killers, witness tells court

The wife of slain Nakuru tycoon Julius Kimani gave out Sh1.2 million to his killers, a witness has told the High Court sitting in Nakuru.

Ms Jane Nyambura, an employee of Kimsnet Limited, a company belonging to Mr Kimani, told the court that Ms Gladys Wambui instructed her to take the money to one of the accused persons the same day the businessman was killed.

Ms Wambui is the prime suspect in the case in which she is charged alongside four others, including Ms Rahab Mukenye, Mr Alex Muhonja, James Mwaura and Mr Nicholas Mudegu.

She is accused of colluding with the four to kill her husband.

RUN THE BUSINESS

According to court documents, they committed the offence on December 1, last year, at Manyani estate in Nakuru County.

Appearing before Justice Anthony Ndung’u, the witness said Ms Wambui arrived late in the morning of December 1 to open the business premises in Nakuru town, while in the company of her brother-in-law.

After opening the shop, the two left leaving behind the employees to run the business.

The court heard that Ms Wambui later called Ms Nyambura and instructed her to deliver the money to a Mr Muhonja, who was waiting for her at a place in Nakuru town.

“She directed me where the keys to her office were and, after gaining access, I counted the money which was in bundles of Sh 100,000 and I put it in a brown bag. She also told me to wear a blue dust coat, which the recipient of the money was to use to identify me,” said the witness.

MET SUSPECT

She met the suspect outside Equity Bank at Gatehouse building along Kenyatta Avenue as directed and, upon confirming the identity, the two got into the bank where Mr Muhonja stashed the money into his pockets and left.

“I asked him to return the bag because I had borrowed it from my colleague. He stashed the money into his pair of trousers’ pockets and  handed back the hand bag,” said Ms Nyambura.

The court heard that the witness, upon returning to the shop, found her colleagues mourning the death of her boss.

One of her workmates informed her that their employer had been kidnapped the previous night.

“After making further inquiries, I learnt that my boss had not only been kidnapped but also killed,” she narrated.

DELIVERED MONEY

Ms Nyambura, however, denied knowing the suspect before saying that he only introduced himself as Alex on the day they met for the first time when delivering the money. She claimed that she later saw him on TV after the news of arrests of the suspects hit headlines.

The witness further noted that Ms Wambui, on  December 19, gave her another handbag full of money and asked her to take it to the bank ahead of her.

The court heard that Ms Wambui arrived at the bank as planned and took the money which she said was in denominations of Sh1,000.

Ms Nyambura said she recorded two statements with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations on diverse dates within the month after the killing incident.

GLARING ERRORS

Her testimony was, however, challenged by the suspect’s lawyer, Mr Wambeyi Makomere, who dismissed her as unreliable.

Mr Makomere questioned glaring errors in the witness’ statement which, he said, had been invented.

He noted that the two statements had errors in terms of dates recorded as well as absence of signatures on some pages.

The five suspects have denied the charges and four are out on a Sh500,000 bond each. Ms Wambui was denied bond on grounds that she was likely to interfere with key prosecution witnesses. The hearing continues  on June 16.