Former television anchor Louis Otieno yesterday told an inquest that the deceased, Careen Chepchumba, had confided in him that she had been sexually abused by her father.
Mr Otieno who, was making his first appearance at the inquest investigating the mysterious death of Chepchumba and has been adversely mentioned in the probe, made the sensational claims before Senior Principal Magistrate Charles Ondieki at the Kibera Law Courts.
The former television anchor also told the court that Chepchumba told him that Hosea Kili was not her biological father.
“She told me one evening she had something to share with me. When I met her that evening she narrated to me that she is a victim of abuse from relatives, especially her father whom I later realised wasn’t her biological father,” Otieno testified.
Otieno also denied having an intimate relationship with the deceased, saying they were merely close friends and neighbours.
Otieno told the inquest that he moved to the Rose Park Apartment in Kilimani in 2011 where they were neighbours with Chepchumba’s family. During the inquest, Otieno told the magistrate that his hearing was impaired recently and requested to communicate using gestures. He then asked that all inquiries be put in writing. The magistrate allowed him to proceed with his testimony with the help of an aide.
Chepchumba, 26, then an employee at Kenya Power Company, was found lying dead on her bed at Santonia Court, off Kirichwa Road in Kilimani, Nairobi, on February 14, 2012.
His defence
Yesterday, Otieno sought to distance himself from Chepchumba’s killing and said he was in Magadi when she was killed. He said police had tracked his phones to determine his location at the time of the killing and they found that he was out of Nairobi for more than a week before the incident.
Mr Otieno said the deceased described her difficult life with her parents, especially her father, who on realising their close relationship, warned her not to visit him anymore.
He told the inquest that at one time Chepchumba told him that she had taken up duties previously done by her mother and that whenever her father wanted to travel, she was the one who packed his belongings, including sorting out and filing his business documents. Mr Otieno, who described his relationship with Chepchumba as platonic, said he is married to Joyce with whom they have two children — a son and daughter.
“No, I never had sexual intimacy with Careen,” Otieno said.
He added that a DNA test conducted by the police after Chepchumba’s death had also cleared him of the killing. Otieno further testified that one day Chepchumba ran into his flat and refused to come out, saying her father wanted to kill her. During the confrontation, Otieno said he stood at his door and told Kili (Chepchumba’s father) it was unfair to beat her.
He testified that in response her father threatened to have him evicted from his flat. “I noted his reaction, and when I went to pay rent for the flat owned by a theological school, the administrator called me aside and told me that a member of a committee had gone there and said I should be evicted,” he said.
Otieno said he asked the administrator to put the notice down in writing to which he refused, prompting him to report the matter at Kilimani Police Station and the next day he considered moving out. The former journalist denied ever receiving cash from the deceased.
“I had medical insurance so she could not have given me money for my medical bills,” he said.
Last week, Chepchumba’s father said the deceased had borrowed money from friends and family to finance the flashy lifestyle of the former television personality. In total, he claimed that she had borrowed Sh3 million from her father’s friends and close family members.
The father also claimed his daughter had purchased a Range Rover for Otieno. The former anchor denied the claims.
“Before I met her I owned several vehicles, a Mercedes Benz, Land Cruiser and a BMW,” he testified. The hearing continues on June 7 when three more witnesses will testify.
