The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has dismissed claims that it summoned three Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) over alleged links to the murder of activist Richard Otieno.
In a brief statement on Tuesday evening, the detectives flagged a viral post suggesting they had summoned Molo, Turi, and Elburgon MCAs Joseph Ngware, John Mwangi, and David Nganga, respectively.
The flagged letter claimed that the trio had been summoned to appear at the DCI headquarters located along Kiambu Road in Nairobi on Wednesday, 22 January, to record a statement regarding Otieno’s murder.
According to the fake post, the three politicians allegedly mobilised members of the public to storm Elburgon Nyayo Hospital mortuary and take away Richard’s body.
DCI Director Mohammed Amin.
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Kelly Ayodi
The post further claimed that the trio proceeded to take Richard’s body to Elburgon Police Station before later moving it to an undisclosed location with the intent of tampering with the ongoing investigation.
“In addition, we have in our possession intelligence reports pointing to the three of you having had differences with the deceased regarding his financial standpoint, as he had been under your payroll but had not received his stipend, thus causing him to struggle,” alleged the fake post.
“We are aware that he had planned to expose you, and thus this could be a plausible motive to commit the crime or be accomplices to the gruesome murder.”
While dismissing the details in the viral social media post, the DCI described the information as fake and advised members of the public to be cautious and not fall for such misleading claims.
The clarification comes a day after homicide detectives from the DCI launched a probe into the gruesome murder of the Molo activist, who was reportedly killed by unknown individuals on Saturday, 18 January.
Meanwhile, Otieno’s family has accused the police of delaying the investigation into the activist’s death. They claim that despite urgent calls for a thorough probe, the perpetrators remain at large.
Addressing the press on Monday, January 20, Otieno’s family lawyer revealed that the deceased had been receiving death threats with key evidence including screenshots showing the perpetrators.
“My late client has been receiving threats and some of them were even screenshots that were out in the public domain with the names of specific people who threatened him,” noted the family lawyer.
A collage of a picture of activist Richard Otieno (left) and protestors carrying his body on January 19, 2025.
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