This archive report was first published on 2 September 2019.
On July 2, 2019, Samwel Gateri Wanjiru, a prosecution witness in the Dennis Itumbi forgery case, was arrested and had his cellphones, national identification card, and driving license forcibly seized by officers.
According to an application filed at the Milimani Law Courts, Gateri claims he was forced to sign a witness statement whose contents he does not know.
He further alleges that the officers threatened to execute him if he failed to confirm that he had a telephone conversation with Deputy President William Ruto and that Dennis Itumbi was his link to the DP.
Gateri also claims that he was kept in police custody for more than 24 hours but was later released.
He has now filed an application to withdraw from the case, citing threats to his life, including an attempted kidnapping, as grounds for withdrawal.
Chief Magistrate Martha Mutuku directed the matter to be mentioned on Tuesday, September 3, 2019.
Published on September 2, 2019, at 16:03:18.
