Police pursue dispute angle in Ken Walibora’s death

Man of letters Ken Walibora was embroiled in a dispute with a publisher over a book in the week leading up to his death.

This is one of the theories police are pursuing as investigations into his death begin.

Police came up with the theory after analysing mobile phone records of the professor.

Police are also pursuing leads on whether the author was picked up by another car after parking his own on Kijabe Street in the hours leading up to his death.

CAR DUSTED
The Riara University lecturer was knocked down by a matatu on Landhies Road, more than three kilometres from where he left his car on Friday morning.
The guards who saw him park the car have been questioned. The car, which is at the Central Police Station, has also been dusted for fingerprints.

Police remain tight-lipped on the contents of the CCTV footage that might have captured the incident.

A post-mortem exam showed that Prof Walibora’s body had stab wounds on one of his hands.

Meanwhile, the writer will be buried at his Makutano home in Cherang’any constituency Wednesday.

By Tuesday evening, the homicide investigating unit was still attempting to establish how he sustained the cut in his right hand.

Dr Johansen Oduor said last week that the wounds suggested that Prof Walibora may have been trying to defend himself.

Sources at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations said members of the Serious Crimes Unit held a meeting to analyse evidence.

Serious Crimes Unit head Joseph Kariuki said investigators would rely on mobile phone call data.

There are reports that Prof Walibora was being chased by a group of men when he was hit by the minibus belonging to Double M company.

15 FAMILY MEMBERS

Preparations for the burial were underway at his home, with Trans Nzoia County authorities insisting that attendance would be limited to 15 mourners, in line with the Ministry of Health guidelines meant to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

County Commissioner Samson Ojwang said only family members would attend the burial.

“There will be no crowd. Even the number of journalists will be restricted,” Mr Ojwang told the Nation.
He asked the family to forward the names of those expected at the ceremony through the area chief.

“We have selected some close relatives, friends and neighbours to be part of the burial. It is sad that the coronavirus situation will lock out many from paying their last respects to Ken,” Prof Walibora’s stepmother Eunice Wafula told the Nation.

Meanwhile, the Kenya Publishers Association has eulogised Prof Walibora as a prolific writer.

Association chairman Lawrence Njagi said Prof Walibora would be remembered for his book Siku Njema, “which has been read countless times by millions of Kenyans”.

Prof Walibora, who also worked as journalist at Nation Media Group, was the director of the Global and Language Studies Centre at Riara University at the time of his death.

Reported by Vincent Achuka, Stella Cherono and Gerald Bwisa