Thugs Kill Hola CID Boss

Zadock Angira

30 June 2011

Nairobi — Hola Divisional Criminal Investigations Officer (DCIO) Geoffrey Githu Kahiro was on Wednesday night shot dead by thugs in Kahawa West, Nairobi.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Mr Kahiro was driving back to his residence at around 10.50pm when he was accosted by four thugs at his gate as he was waiting for his wife to open the gate.

His first wife, Hellen Wanjiku, reported that she went to open the gate but as her husband drove in two people emerged from within the compound and were joined by others.

The four thugs, one of them armed with an AK47 rifle shot him on the right hand but the bullet went through his chest and exited from his back. After they had shot him, they forced the wife into the house where they took away a television set only.

His wife called a neighbour, Wachira Muraguri, and they rushed him to the Kiambu District Hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.

Mrs Wanjiru was at home alone as her first born stays in Westlands and the last born was in school. The first born, Everline Wanjiku is an investment Consultant with Botho limited and stays in Westlands while their last born Wairimu is a Form Three student.

Detectives who first visited the scene recovered a spent cartridge of 7.62mm special only used in AK47 rifles, corroborating the deceased wife’s account to police.

Nairobi Provincial Criminal Investigations Officer (PCIO) Peter Muinde said they were investigating the incident and had collected the bullet casing for further ballistic examination.

Mr Kahiro served as the DCIO Ngong before he was transferred to the Flying Squad Unit as the deputy head.

Last October, he was transferred to Hola as the DCIO but had taken some days off since he had been unwell for the last two weeks.

The deceased had been with his younger wife, Ruth Nyambura, at their house within Ongata Rongai Police station staff quarters since Monday and had just gone to his other house Kahawa West on the fateful night.

Mrs Nyambura said that the deceased left their residence on Wednesday morning after taking their three and a half year daughter to school. He went back to the house and went to Tuskys Supermarket for some shopping before he left for town.

“He was not jovial as he used to be but when I would ask him he would simply say that he is okay,” said the wife.

She said that the husband did not come back, only getting a call from the family friend, Mr Muraguri, that he had been shot on the arm and was admitted to Kiambu District Hospital.

“I drove from Rongai but when I reached the hospital, I was told that he had succumbed to the gunshot wounds,” said a sobbing Nyambura.

Mr Kahiro built his Kahawa West House in the early 90s and had been staying there since then. He had been carjacked once within the area two years ago but the thugs did not harm him.

A sombre mood engulfed Tana River District police headquarters and Hola Town after locals learnt of the local CID boss demise.

The acting police chief Robert Thuku, who was on official duties in Kipini Division monitoring mass influx of pastoralists from North Eastern Province to Tana Delta wetlands in search of pasture following a severe drought, cancelled his engagement.

Area District Commissioner Henry Obino and district officer Joseph Kamweru said that the deceased had proved to be a cooperative and very hard working officer for the last one year he had been there.

He was the second born in a family of six and hailed from Ngarariga Village in Limuru. He taught briefly at the Kiru School in Murang’a before joining the Kenya Police force.

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