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| Mr John Githinji (left) and Mr Joseph Kang’ethe in a police vehicle en route to Nyeri Police Station after they surrendered at the Nyeri Regional DCI headquarters on October 22, 2018. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NATION MEDIA GROUP |
Two of Nyeri’s most wanted gangsters presented themselves to the police on Monday, ending a three-month pursuit.
Police have been pursuing Mr Joseph Kang’ethe alias Wakinanyu and Mr John Githinji alias Mrefu over links to violent robberies and the Mungiki sect.
The two surrendered through human rights lobby, Muslims for Human Rights (Muhuri), claiming their lives were in danger.
They claimed that police have been out to kill them since July, following the murder of Kamakwa location chief, Kimiti Nyuguto.
Muhuru officials drove them to the Central Regional Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters where they were taken into custody for questioning and possible prosecution.
“They believe they are being targeted by police who want to harm them and they requested that we help them surrender safely. If they are found culpable of any offence, we would want the legal processes to be followed,” Mr Khelef Khalifa of Muhuri said in a statement.
Mr Joseph Kang’ethe admitted to being a member of the Mungiki sect in 2005 which saw him spend time in a Nyeri prison but was freed in 2007. He insists he has since reformed.
But he was also tried for robbery with violence in 2009 and linked to the murder of former Othaya DCI boss Johnah Nzau but was acquitted in December 2017 of the charges for lack of evidence.
During the trial period, he was also arrested for jumping bail as police continued to link him to armed robberies in Nyeri Town.
On his part, Mr John Githinji, was convicted of robbery with violence in 2000 and detained in a Nyeri prison until 2006 when he was set free. Two years later, police profiled him as a wanted man after he allegedly attempted to hijack then Nyeri Central OCS. Detectives link him to a series of robberies and organised crimes in Nyeri.
Nyeri County DCI boss Johnah Kirui said that the suspects would be interrogated first as they prepare to present them to court.
“This makes it easier for us to work and we encourage other suspects to surrender themselves peacefully and no harm will befall them. Those who have done so have been assured of their safety,” he said.
The Nation has also learned that four more suspects had agreed to surrender themselves to the police but developed cold feet in the last minute.
According to police sources, the four suspects are wanted over links to the Mungiki gang that has resurfaced over the last few months.