This archive report was first published on 3 July 2019.
July 3, 2019 - Nairobi, Kenya
Deputy President William Ruto's digital strategist, Dennis Itumbi, has been arrested by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) over an alleged plot to assassinate Ruto.
The arrest comes after President Uhuru Kenyatta instructed the DCI to probe claims that three Mt Kenya Cabinet Secretaries - Peter Munya, Joe Mucheru, and Sicily Kariuki - were involved in a scheme to eliminate Ruto.
According to sources, Ruto had made a verbal complaint through State House on June 23, but had yet to record a formal statement by June 26.
Police are investigating Itumbi's involvement in a letter allegedly written by an unnamed Cabinet Secretary to President Kenyatta, detailing the plot to eliminate Ruto.
The authenticity of the letter has been questioned, with police pursuing leads that it may have been forged.
Itumbi recently moved to Ruto's Harambee Annex office from State House, where he used to work until President Kenyatta's press office was reorganized.
The trio of Cabinet Secretaries was accused of holding meetings at La Mada hotel, where they allegedly discussed plans to curtail Ruto's 2022 presidential ambitions.
Without Ruto's formal statement, it is difficult to undertake an investigation, according to DCI chief George Kinoti.
