Tecra Mungai bodyguard was away when ‘accident’ happened
The family of deceased businesswoman Tecra Mungai hired a security officer to watch over her and her boyfriend Omar Lali, a magistrate inquiring into her mysterious death heard.
Shadrack Mukanda, a security advisor to the deceased’s family, told Milimani senior principal magistrate Zainab Abdul that he engaged the services of one Khalid Mbaru to guard Tecra.
Mr. Mukanda who’s been offering security services to the deceased traveled with the couple to Lamu but returned to Nairobi and left her with her boyfriend.
“After four days, the Karanjas called me and asked me to place a close protection officer in Lamu,” Mr. Mukanda told the court.
He told the magistrate he identified one of the best men in security matters, namely Khalid Mbaru, and detailed him to watch over Tecra and Omar.
Tecra and Omar had planned to usher in the year 2020 in Lamu.
Mukanda told the court he flew with Khali to Lamu on December 29, 2019, then stayed with them throughout the December and new year festivities until January 2, 2020.
After returning to Nairobi, Khalid stayed with them for some time.
Khalid later called Mukanda and explained that Tecra had said they were not sensing any danger and advised he should be released.
On April 28, 2020, Mukanda says he received a call from Tabitha Karanja, Tecra’s mum, informing him that there had been an accident in Lamu involving the deceased and an aircraft had been dispatched to airlift her to Nairobi.
The magistrate heard Mrs. Karanja later called the security agents and broke the news of Tecra’s demise.
Mukanda and officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations Officers (DCI)then visited Jaha House where Tecra allegedly fell and injured her head.
Police recovered Tecra’s belongings (a stained navy blue towel, a large stained white cream towel, a large stained whitish towel, stained blue dress, green orange stripped whitish kikoi, stained black kikoi, a crown bird exercise book treatment note and receipt, hardcover notebook, a prayer exercise book, a black bag containing a book titled Love Dog.
The court heard that Omar was detained as a murder suspect after it was discovered that Tecra and Lali were drunk when the incident occurred.
Ms Abdul has been conducting an inquest to establish the cause of death of Tecra who allegedly fell while at house in Lamu.
Senior Counsel James Orengo and Elisha Ongoya are representing the deceased family while Mombasa-based lawyer Abubakar Yusuf is appearing for Lali.
Mr Lali is listed as the last witness in the inquest since he once was considered the key suspect in the murder.
Ms Abdul adjourned the case to May 25, 2022.