MP gives new version of events in rape scandal
A member of Parliament at the centre of rape allegations by a married woman was on Monday questioned by police for nearly six hours before being driven away to an unknown destination.
His doctor, Mwangi Muchiri, who is alleged to have administered an HIV test by force, has also been summoned by the medical board.
Mr Gideon Mwiti, the Imenti Central MP, was summoned to Gigiri Police Station. He was questioned by the Gigiri Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss Daniel Kandie.
After six hours of questioning, Mr Mwiti emerged and was allowed to address journalists. He denied allegations of rape.
The MP was then driven away in an unmarked police car as a convoy of other police vehicles followed.
TAKEN INTO CUSTODY
Under normal circumstances, and with rape being such a serious crime, suspects are taken into custody.
It was not clear whether he was being transferred to another police station or being taken to the hospital for examination.
“I came here to write a statement and all I can say is that the allegations are false. Police are already investigating the matter,” he said.
He confirmed meeting the 29-year-old woman, but denied having raped her. She had accused him of brutally punching and kicking her, forcing her to take an HIV test and finally raping her.
On Monay, the MP, who was in the pyramid scheme business before he was elected, claimed that he accompanied the woman to Pizza Garden Restaurant in Westlands, Nairobi, on Saturday from 6.30pm to 9pm before they moved to a club on Woodvale Grove.
“We stayed at my club till around 1am on Sunday. We were also with my constituents at the club,” he claimed.
The legislator also claimed to have called the woman before and after they met.
“I later called her to confirm whether she had reached home, but she did not respond,” he added.
PRIVATE OFFICE
He denied going to his private office, located opposite the club.
“I have an office on the ground floor of Krishna Plaza. However, at no time did she came to my office. We have also never had any disagreement at all,” he said.
Initially he had denied knowing or having met the woman.
“If there was a woman in my bar, how do I know? Probably the incident happened within my bar,” he had said earlier.
He had also claimed that he was at Njuguna’s on Waiyaki Way with his pastor and constituents until 6pm, when he moved to his bar.
According to the woman, he beat her when she refused to take an HIV test.
“He beat me so badly. He hit me, kicked me and I was on the floor. He continued beating me and I had to accept to be tested,” she said, adding that she ran to the bathroom, but he followed her and broke the door.
“He beat me up and tore my clothes. He also told me to stop behaving as if I did not know what he wanted. He then tore my clothes and raped me repeatedly.”
DOCTOR SUMMONED
On Monday, the doctor alleged to have conducted the forcible HIV test was summoned to appear before the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board to explain what happened.
Dr Muchiri, the owner of Fig-Tree Medical Centre in Ngara, is alleged to have taken a blood sample and conducted the test before the woman was reportedly raped by the MP.
Board CEO Daniel Yumbya said Dr Muchiri was required to shed light on his registration status, the HIV testing and allegations of rape.
Dr Muchiri’s business card reads: ‘Dr Mwangi M.D (MB CHB; M.MED-NB, MP.H).’
The card says that Dr Mwangi is a “consulting physician, Renal (and) Intensive Care.”
When contacted in Ngara, he was conducting business as usual, seeing patients. He refused to comment on the allegations, saying that he is bound by doctor-patient confidentiality and he prefers to wait for investigations to be carried out before commenting.
Appearing unfazed by the media attention, he said he was not bothered by allegations that placed him at a rape scene.
“That I have been placed there is no big deal … when I am called to answer I will go, but let me tell you, I am a very straightforward man and a very morally upright man. I will wait for the investigations to be carried out and I will tell the truth when the right time comes. The person who was raped could be my sister or someone I know, but let’s leave it at that,” he said.
The rape allegations were greeted with outrage and human rights groups demanded that Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko fast-tracks investigations and prosecution.