Missing Uhuru Kenyatta advisor’s short stint at State House

Dr Naomi Mutea holds a photo of his missing son.

By Standard Reporter

Nairobi, Kenya: Fresh details have emerged about a senior State House official who disappeared mysteriously, even as detectives indicated investigations had hit a brick wall so far.

According to documents in the The Standard’s possession, Albert Muriuki worked for under two months since he was officially appointed to work at State House, before his shocking disappearance on December 24 last year.

Mr Muriuki was part of the team advising President Uhuru Kenyatta on legal and constitutional affairs and he deputised former Mandera Central MP Abdikadir Mohammed.

His appointment letter, dated November 6 last year, was signed by State House Comptroller Lawrence Lenayapa. “I am pleased to inform you that you have been offered appointment  in the grade of Deputy Director, Constitutional and Legislative Affairs, Job Group ‘R’ on the Local Agreement terms of service for an initial period of three years with effect from the date you report on duty,” the letter reads in part.

Between May and July 2007, Muriuki worked as an intern at the International Criminal Court (ICC)-Office of the Presidency, before proceeding to Columbia University.

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His internship certificate was signed by the first ICC President Philippe Kirsch and then Registrar Bruno Cathala.

However, ICC Outreach Co-ordinator in Kenya Maria Kamara said she did not know the man.

“It’s not possible to know all staff members and interns,” she responded to our inquiries.

According to the police abstract at Central Police Station, the disappearance was reported on January 10,  many days after he went missing.

His mother, Dr Naomi Mutea, a senior lecturer at Kimathi University in Nyeri, said she thought her son would contact the family as he called a colleague on December 30.

“We thought maybe he had just switched off his phone and would get back to us because he was to get back to work on January 8,” she said.

His mother said her son’s documents, including ID Card, bank cards, telephone and laptop were left on his bed in Westlands where he lived.

The Standard has also established that she wrote to the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) on January 24 requesting help to trace her son.

Sunday, top LSK officials admitted that they were in receipt of the letter and turned the heat on the police for taking “unreasonably long to unearth the mysterious disappearance of a man that was at the apex of the civil service.”

“We have been giving police time to unearth this mystery, but they have taken unreasonably long, which is unacceptable,” said LSK Chief Executive Officer Apollo Mboya.

The CID

“This was a senior member of State House personnel whose disappearance should cause concern,” he added.

According to the LSK, they raised the matter with Mohammed, who was his boss, and further with Attorney General Githu Muigai.

“LSK did contact Abdikadir Mohammed, his boss who confirmed that Albert has been missing but said that the matter is with the CID who are handling the issue,” Mr Mboya noted. According to details from his mother, Muriuki allegedly visited Kalee Cafe in Nairobi on December 30, which is owned by his uncle, a day after his mother sent a relative to check on Muriuki’s residence at Kirinyaga Co-operative flats in Westlands, where the security guards said they last saw  him on December 24.