This archive report was first published on 2 September 2019.
Published on September 2, 2019, a man named Samwel Gateri Wanjiru has filed an application to withdraw from a case in which blogger Dennis Itumbi is accused of authoring a letter alleging a plot to assassinate Deputy President William Ruto.
Gateri claims to be an interested party in the case and has cited threats to his life, including an attempted kidnapping, as grounds for withdrawal.
Contrary to earlier reports suggesting that Gateri was a prosecution witness, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has refuted the claims, terming him a suspect in the matter.
According to the DCI, Gateri was arrested on July 2, 2019, and officers forcibly seized his cellphones, national identification card, and driving license.
Gateri further alleges that he was forced to sign a witness statement whose contents he does not know and that the officers threatened to execute him if he failed to confirm that he had a telephone conversation with the deputy president and that Itumbi was his link to the DP.
He also claims that he was kept in police custody for more than 24 hours but was later released.
Gateri wants his confiscated items to be surrendered back to him unconditionally, arguing that he is unable to carry out any transactions without his national ID.
Chief Magistrate Martha Mutuku directed the matter to be mentioned on Tuesday, September 3.
