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How detectives pounced on and arrested ‘state witness’ in Itumbi case at city hotel

By Amina Wako September 12th, 2019 1 min read

The ‘state witness’ in the the infamous ‘assassination letter’ case involving blogger Dennis Itumbi has been arrested.

Samwel Gateri was dramatically arrested on Wednesday by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

NABBED

Gateri is said to have been nabbed by DCI officers at Sagret Hotel where he was having meeting with his lawyer Goergiadis Majimbo and taken to Shauri Moyo Police Station.

According to the lawyer, the officers arrived at the hotel in two cars, got hold of Gateri without introducing themselves and sped of.

The DCI detectives who arrested him were on aboard two cars (registration numbers KBR 549K and KBS 632E).

Gateri’s arrest came just eight days after he had made an  application to withdraw himself as a witness in the case. 

Itumbi is accused of authoring the said letter which detailed a plot by some senior leaders in government to eliminate Deputy President William Ruto.

KIDNAPPING

In his application, Gateri cited threats to his life, including an attempted kidnapping, as grounds for his intention to withdraw himself from the case.

He also stated in his application that he was forced to sign a witness statement whose contents he does not know and he now fears the prosecution might use the statement in the case against Itumbi.

After filing the application, the DCI termed Gateri’s claims as ‘false and misleading’.

The DCI further denied that Gateri is a state witness, stating that he is actually a suspect under investigations.

But contrary to the DCI’s statement, a police charge sheet received in court on July 22, 2019, lists Gateri as a state witness in the case.