CID arrest four former Kihiu Mwiri directors

From left: Senator Kembi Gitura, Deputy Governor Gakure Monyo and Governor Mwangi wa Iria emerge from a security meeting over the going-ons at Kihiu Mwiri land buying company [Photo: Boniface Gikandi/Standard]

Four former Directors of the troubled Kihiu Mwiri Land Buying Company have been arrested.

Sources told The Standard that the suspects were arrested soon after they presented themselves at the Criminal Investigations Directorate headquarters in Nairobi.

The arrests come in the wake of an orgy of violence which saw two more directors gunned downed in broad daylight last week.

County Police Commander Naomi Ichami said the information would only be gotten from Nairobi as she had not been briefed by CID.

Meanwhile, expectations are high in the troubled Kihiu Mwiri land buying company after Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Friday interrogated past and present directors on management of the 1,085 acres of land.

Further, this morning a high powered team from department of land led by Director of Surveys Cesare Mbaria is expected at the farm to vet documents which members have.

The 100 lands officers will be provided security by a police unit to ensure their safety. This follows the killing of the two committee members who were part of the task force appointed by Acting Lands Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i to fast track issuance of title deeds to members.

The vetting process comes barely a month after the task force last month visited the farm for a familiarisation mission in preparation towards issuance of title deeds scheduled for next month (September).

Efforts to reach Mbaria for comments on the activities for the week failed despite his assurance in a text message to call this writer.

Deputy President William Ruto in May this year ordered Matiang’i to visit Murang’a and help resolve the crisis that by then had caused death of eight directors.

Crisis meeting

On Thursday, last week, Matiang’i held a crisis meeting, which was attended by Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet, and CID Director Ndegwa Muhoro, where the county security committee was castigated over failure to act on death threats issued to the directors.

Sunday, churches in Kihiu Mwiri area held special prayers for peace as they mourned the dead, Wanyoike Kibe and Mwangi Chege who were gunned down last week when they were heading to Nairobi to submit some details to the task force.

Speaking to The Standard, one resident, Peter Mwangi, said the church leaders pleaded with the local community to embrace peace and fully cooperate with Government security agencies working towards finding a lasting solution to their suffering.

“We have suffered and live in fear wondering who is next,” he said.