Bahati Member of Parliament Kimani Ngunjiri has been mentioned as a person of interest in the murder of renowned environmentalist Joannah Stutchbury.
While appearing before the Senate on Tuesday, October 26, 2021, Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko stated that the environmentalist was killed for her relentless pursuit in the conservation of Kiambu Forest.
In his submission to the Senate Committee probing the incident, Tobiko referenced a pending court case involving a company in which Ngunjiri is the director.
File image of Kenyan environmentalist Joanna Stuchburry. She was murdered on Thursday, July 15, 2021. [Photo: Courtesy]
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The CS told the Senate that Stutchbury successfully managed to have the Bahati MP barred from creating an access road through the forest to his personal land.
Tobiko thus noted that the MP should be probed as a person of interest in the case.
“The 2nd respondent (Stutchbury) using the 1st respondent (Kenya Forest Service) as her agents have inhibited, stopped and/or frustrated the applicant’s effort of clearing and upgrading the public access road,” part of the affidavit read.
Detectives are now basing the case on the disparities between the MP and late environmentalist to probe him as a person of interest.
Tobiko assured the Senate that the government has taken the necessary measures to conserve Kiambu Forest.
The Bahati legislator is yet to respond to allegations fronted against him by the CS.
Stutchburry was dedicated in her efforts to conserve and preserve the environment. Prior to her demise, she is believed to have crossed paths with "powerful individuals" who were clearing part of the Kiambu Forest to pave way for developments.
Court papers shared with media houses indicate that she had pending cases at the Environment and Lands Court in Kiambu when she died.
“There is speculation that the developers may have been involved. However, if you say someone committed the crime, can we put him in that scenario even if we want to use circumstantial evidence?
“It is about putting the suspected fellow to the crime scene or to the activities surrounding the crime," Kiambu East Directorate of Criminal Investigations Officer Dennis Wekesa stated.
President Uhuru Kenyatta had earlier called for the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to move quickly in establishing the environmentalist's killers.
"My government will pursue and apprehend the criminals behind the killing of Joannah.
"We will not allow a few misguided individuals to continue shedding the blood of innocent people working hard to make Kenya a better place for all of us," he said.
Stutchburry was shot multiple times while inside her car just outside her house in Mushroom Gardens estate in Thindigua, Kiambu County on Thursday afternoon, July 15.
