An alleged boyfriend of the slain June Jerop Kangogo an accountant at the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA ) now claims he is innocent as no evidence has been provided linking him to the murder of his lover.
Jesse Wafula Wakukha who is among three people who have so far been arrested in connection with the murder of Jerop made the revelation in a petition filed at the High Court in Milimani where he is seeking to stop his intended prosecution and be released from custody.
While seeking to bar the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and Inspector General of Police from recommending his prosecution of the murder of Jerop, Wafula says there is no shred of evidence connecting him to the alleged killing of his business partner who went missing on March 18, 2023.
“The officers have not managed to produce any shred of evidence that connects Wafula to the deceased,” part of the court papers read.
Wafula who is an ICT expert also claims that he never met Jerop for the alleged coffee date prior to the murder adding that he is being detained while he is innocent.
According to Wafula, the day Jerop is alleged to have gone missing and murdered at Jamhuri Estate in Nairobi he had travelled to Bungoma to run his business.
“I was contacted by the deceased on March 17, 2023, and March 18, 2023, but we did not manage to talk. Both times that the deceased tried to contact me, l did not manage to answer her calls,” Wafula noted in an affidavit filed in court.
He says that he was later informed of Jerop’s death by police officers who travelled to his home in Bungoma to arrest him on March 23.
“I was informed of Jerop’s death by police officers and before I could comprehend that she is no more, I was arrested,“ he added.
Through his lawyer John Swaka, Wafula also states that CCTV footage, from the residence of Jerop does not show her with him and there has been no further link that has been provided by investigators to show that they were together at her time of death.
Swaka claims his client is a person of interest in the murder because of his business dealings with her.
“The Applicant and the deceased were in business. The Deceased would use the applicant company to apply for tenders in the organization in which she was working. The police have been able to verify this position owing to the huge transactions that have been lifted from the phone records of the deceased,” the lawyer informed the court.
Further, Wafula also claims that he is in the business of selling salvaged cars and had sold to Jerop a Motor vehicle which he still owed him Ksh1 million prior to her death.
“At the time of her passing the deceased still owed my client about Ksh1 million which she was still paying and as such the motor vehicle is still in the name of Wafula,” Swaka says.
“The deceased asked the applicant to have the lease put in his name so that she could escape any queries being asked at work since she was earning Ksh45,000 and her monthly rent was Ksh30,000.
The audit at her place of work would have raised eyebrows on this kind of arrangement,” Swaka adds.
He further alleges that during the arrest the police and Jerop’s sister took possession of the wifi router at his house and asked for the password to the wifi and other details as to who pays for the wifi and even took video footage of the entire house all in the presence of the arresting officers.
“The deceased person’s sister is passing along a wrong narrative to the police whose eyes are now pointed at the applicant who has nothing to do with the death of the deceased,” Swaka stated.
The lawyer now wants the court to vacate the custodial orders granted to police to continue holding him as Wafula has provided information to police that clearly shows that he and Jerop were not together either prior to her death or after her death.
“Wafula has been an open book and has provided all information based on the relationship that he has with the deceased. None of the witnesses in this matter has pointed a finger against him,” Swaka says.
He adds that the two other persons arrested with him have been released from custody and his continued detention is illegal as he has been in custody for three weeks now.
“My client wants the court to issue temporary orders restraining DPP, IG, SCCIO Makadara and DCIO officers at Makadara from arresting, arraigning in court and charging him pending the hearing and determination of this petition, “Swaka states in the court papers.
He also wants the prosecution to be stopped from harassing, intimidating, persecuting, arbitrarily arresting or detaining him pending the hearing and determination of this suit.
Wafula also wants the court to suspend the intended murder charges pending the hearing of the petition.
