Dead suspect told police he was hired to kill Idriss Mukhtar

David Mwai, the assassin hired to kill the former Garissa finance boss, confessed to police that the initial plan was to kidnap and poison Idriss Mukhtar but he took too long and instead was ordered to shoot to kill.

Plans changed after Mwai hadn’t been able to abduct and inject him with hydrogen peroxide for three weeks, police said they were told. The chemical induces a heart attack or stroke.

Mwai, 27, died last Friday at the Parklands police station cells where he is said to have committed suicide. A postmortem revealed he died of strangulation.

But before he died, he said a man whom police are holding ,  Mohamud Hussein Aden — ordered him to get it over with and shoot Mukhtar to death. He was shot once in the head on August 19 in Kileleshwa, but not killed. He is in critical condition, Garissa Governor Ali Korane was arrested, questioned by police and released.

The motive was said to be Mukhtar’s intention to raise the issue of Korane’s fake academic papers. Korane has denied any connection to the attempted murder.

Mwai recorded a statement with police on August 28. Details of more than one month’s planning were revealed to the Star.

He told the investigators how he was approached by a former schoolmate, identified as Juliet Njoki, who told him a friend wanted a man killed. The pay was to be Sh500,000.

Njoki, who has two children, lives in the same neighborhood of Chokaa along Kangundo Road, where Mwai lived. He had two children.

Njoki said her friend had been conned out of Sh500,000 and his sister had been conned out of Sh6 million by the same person, Then began a month of plotting and hunting for Mukhtar.

On July 28, Mwai and Njoki held their first meeting at a hotel in Ngara where a man identified as Moha was introduced.

It has since emerged that the Moha is the suspect whom police have identified as Mohamud Hussein Aden. He is being held in connection with the attempted murder.

Mohamud and Njoki would be blamed for planning and financing the attempted murder.

Investigators say Njoki has a close relationship with Mohamud. She is being held at an undisclosed police station.

At the hotel meeting, Mohamud quickly introduced the agenda — eliminating the man whom he said had conned him and his sister.

He also produced a photograph of the target. Investigations have revealed that the photo was that of Mukhtar.

Mwai was also furnished with details of Mukhtar’s vehicle for easy tracking around Nairobi.

Mohamud paid Sh50,000 as a deposit for Mwai to kidnap and inject Mukhtar with hydrogen peroxide.

After three weeks, Mwai had yet to accomplish his mission. It was then that Njoki summoned him to a meeting in a hotel at Yaya centre. She did not attend but Mohamud did.

Source: The Star