Former Mungiki leader Waruinge- I played no role in 2007 violence

Ndura Waruinge with kikuyu elders address the press on mungiki sect

Former Mungiki leader Ndura Waruinge has distanced himself from ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda’s claims that he was involved in the 2007 post-election violence.

Bensouda claimed that Waruinge played a role in the violence after he was allegedly persuaded by former Juja MP, the late George Thuo, to involve Mungiki youth to stage attacks in Naivasha and Nakuru.

Waruinge, who parted ways with the Mungiki in 2003 after getting saved, says Thuo was his personal friend, and that at no time did they plan revenge attacks.

“No, no, no, I played no role. The whole issue revolves around a crime that was created to conceive a lie in an international court just to implicate an individual,” said Waruinge who earlier denied claims he was an ICC witness.

He dismissed Bensouda’s evidence as lacking in consistency, and based on hearsay. Waruinge said Molo was his home.

“Molo is where I come from, that is my home where my parents, brothers and sisters live. That is where I was born and have always lived. That’s where I call home,” declared Waruinge.

He said his close friendship with Thuo revolved around politics and business, adding that some of the Mungiki leaders Bensouda claims were assassinated to conceal evidence against President Uhuru Kenyatta were killed before 2007, when the NARC government unleashed a vicious crackdown against the sect.

“George Thuo was my friend, I used to meet him in Juja where I even campaigned for him. We also both had business interests in the matatu sector and met regularly over a cup of tea. He could not have persuaded me on what to do. It is baseless and malicious to state so,” insisted Waruinge.

He claimed that many Mungiki members were sympathetic to ODM after being convinced by their former chairman Maina Njenga, and wondered how the same adherents could be used to turn against a party they had supported during the polls.