Paul Gicheru, the Kenyan lawyer facing witness tampering charges at the International Criminal Court (ICC), spent his final hours drinking wine at his Karen home in Nairobi before his wife discovered him unresponsive on Monday night.
Gicheru was waiting for the International Criminal Court’s verdict in a few weeks on whether he was guilty of bribing witnesses in President William Ruto’s failed trial.
A post-mortem examination scheduled for yesterday to determine the cause of death was postponed at the request of his parents, who had yet to travel from Eldoret.
Raila Odinga, leader of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition, yesterday demanded a foreign investigation into the death of lawyer Paul Gicheru, who was on trial at the International Criminal Court, claiming that the case has international implications.
To dispel suspicions of a cover-up in Kenya, Mr Odinga said international investigative agencies, including Interpol, should lead the investigation.
Mr Odinga said in a statement released by his Presidential Campaign Secretariat Spokesperson Makau Mutua that a thorough and credible investigation is required to uncover the circumstances surrounding Mr Gicheru’s death and his son’s illness.
Gicheru was indicted by the ICC in 2015 for crimes against the administration of justice by corruptly influencing court witnesses.
He was one of three people accused of bribing and intimidating witnesses who were supposed to testify against Dr. Ruto, who was facing crimes against humanity charges.
Walter Barasa and Phillip Bett were the others.
In 2016, judges at the ICC dismissed Ruto’s case saying there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him, a decision which ended international efforts to pursue justice for the victims of the post-election violence.
Even so, the ICC had left open the possibility of fresh charges against Ruto and Sang, stating that the case had been hampered by political interference and intimidation of witnesses.
However, Gicheru, who had a warrant of arrest issued against him five years before, presented a new opportunity to pursue international efforts to obtain justice for the victims of the violence by unexpectedly surrendering at The Hague in November 2020.
Gicheru’s death adds to the long list of witnesses who have disappeared, died mysteriously, or were murdered in cases related to the post-election violence for which President Ruto and his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta were charged.
Christopher Koech, a Kakamega teacher linked to Gicheru’s ICC case, was discovered dead on the roadside near Shibuli market in July. He had foam in his mouth and was sweating profusely, raising the possibility that he had been poisoned.
Meshack Yebei, a witness in the case who died mysteriously in January 2015, was discovered dead at the Man-Eaters section of the Tsavo National Park after going missing for about a week. A post-mortem examination revealed that he had been struck on the head with a blunt object.
Another potential witness, John Kituyi, a former journalist was beaten by unknown people and succumbed to his injuries in April 30, 2015 in Eldoret, the hometown of Ruto.
In 2016, veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga claimed that 10 people who had come forward as witnesses in the ICC cases had disappeared.
He spoke during the requiem mass of slain Nairobi businessman Jacob Juma at the All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi.
In his speech, Raila said there is a system and a philosophy in Kenya which believes in murders, produces murders and believes, wrongly so, that the way to sort out differences and eliminate competition, whether real or imagined, is through extra-judicial killings.
“That philosophy has claimed many lives from independence to date. In the aftermath of the post-election violence, a chain of would-be witnesses were systematically eliminated through extra-judicial killings,” Raila said.
Alongside Yebei, Raila named Njoroge Gichere, George Njoroge Wagacha alias “Afco”, Timothy Mburu Gatira, Anthony Mwenje alias “Noriega”, Maina Diambo, Naftali Irungu alias “Marcus” and Charles Ndungu Wagacha.
Wagacha, then acting Mungiki chairman, and treasurer Irungu, were shot dead on April April 29, 2008 as they drove to Naivasha Prison when they were killed.
Raila also named Njuguna Gitau Njuguna.
There was, however, no official confirmation that the individuals named by Raila were ICC witnesses.
