Eight people believed to have come into contact with the late Joseph Nkaissery on Friday have been quizzed by the police.
The waiters and guards at Bomas of Kenya were questioned by detectives from the homicide unit of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
The detectives zeroed in on the Bomas of Kenya after it emerged Nkaissery was a regular patron of the iconic establishment, secluded and only four kilometres from his Karen home.
Those quizzed could have served him food and drinks, as the police opened a probe to establish or eliminate foul play.
By the time of we went to press, no member of the family had officially suggested they believed his death was not natural.
On account of his profile, Nkaissery enjoyed the services of a special meeting room where he would meet friends and be served meals and drinks.
Investigations indicate on the fateful day, Nkaissery arrived at Bomas around 7pm and proceeded to his "reserved " room.
He left at around 8.45pm, after meeting with a friend identified as a retired KDF Colonel Francis Mugambi and National Land Commission chairman Mohammed Swazuri.
Mugambi had been with the CS for close to two hours and enjoyed glasses of wine. Mugambi left the CS at Bomas.
The CS had indicated that he wanted to be home early in time for the 9 o’clock news, a source close to the probe revealed.
Police said the CS had dinner with his family and retired to bed at around 10pm. At around 12am, Saturday, he complained of chest pains and shortly afterwards collapsed.
Family members drove him to the Karen Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A postmortem will be conducted today to establish the cause of death.
The postmortem was supposed to have been conducted on Saturday, but Nkaissery's family objected and instead preferred it be scheduled for today.
Senior detectives, however, said the family had not indicated any possibility of foul play in the death of the CS.
The family has told the police that the CS was healthy and not on any medication at the time of his death.
However, a day after the death and after investigations commenced, associates of the minister yesterday raised eyebrows in the manner the probe was being carried out as they queried his last moments.
“We are talking about an Interior Cabinet Secretary, who was key in government, not just any other ordinary citizen. The aloofness from top government quarters on this matter has left us shocked. The contradiction coming from the government on the surroundings of his death leaves a lot to be desired,” a source familiar with the family of the late minister said.
“We hope this death will not just be another statistic of an unresolved death of a senior Kenyan,” added the source.
His office clarified that the statement was issued based on initial information received, but which was later corrected after facts surrounding the incident were confirmed.
“As far as I am concerned, the general has never been sick or even taken those Panadols that we do every time we have headaches. So we are wondering which check-up he had gone for,” a source who has worked closely with the general for close to 20 years said.
Painting the picture of the final moments of the father of four, the source said that after finalising the Monday activities at Harambee House the minister passed by Nyayo House.
Last month the Bomas management published a statement indicating that facility will be used as the IEBC National Tallying Centre and had been closed to the public from July 1 to August 31.
“As usual, he passed by Bomas Lounge, where he held a meeting, he was also to meet some County Commissioners who were in town, which he didn’t but opted to head straight home,” said the source.
The source said at his Karen home as routine the CS went for his evening jog at the gym, spoke to the President on the phone at around 9pm, then briefed part of his security aides for the following day before bidding them goodnight.
The source said the wife had gone to the bedroom on the upper floor of their house and Nkaissery had remained in the sitting-room, when she heard the sound of someone falling and when she rushed to check it was her husband lying down. She called on the security detail, who reside in the compound, to help before carrying him to the car and taking him to the hospital.
“We thought he had suffered a heart attack until when he was pronounced dead by the hospital, who tried to resuscitate him, but to no avail. We ruled out a heart attack as a cause of his death,” the source said.
“We were told he had died even before getting to hospital, but what shocked us was when a contingent of other officers stepped in, and upon being informed kicked us out, including family. That caused Mama [wife] more anguish and even making her lose consciousness,” the source added, explaining that even close family members later had difficulties accessing the Lee Funeral Home to view the body, as well the Karen home.
The source also questions the speed with which Nkaissery's replacement was appointed in an acting capacity.
The State and family yesterday formed a joint committee to steer burial plans.
Health Cabinet Secretary Cleopa Mailu was appointed to chair the joint committee with Saitoti ole Maika as the family spokesperson.
Former IEBC commissioner Thomas Letangule was among friends who visited the late CS's Karen home said Nkaissery's widow had been rushed to hospital on Saturday is well.
“Hellen Nkaissery is likely to be discharged from hospital this afternoon to enable her to attend a church service at the Karen home,” said Letangule.
The burial committee’s terms of reference will be to provide all possible assistance to the family of the our departed colleague and to ensure that the late Cabinet Secretary receives an honorable and dignified send-off, befitting his status as a gallant and true patriot, said Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Kinyua in a brief dispatch to newsrooms yesterday.
“From tomorrow (today) there will be regular public information updates done jointly with special family and government spokespersons,” the Kinyua statement said.
More than 2,000 local Maasai and their leaders attended an interdenominational prayer meeting at Nkaissery's rural home in Bissil, led by Agriculture PS Richard Lesiyiampe.
Other leaders who were in attendance included MPs Joseph Manje, Moses Sakuda, Senator Peter Mositet, Peris Tobiko, MP Elijah Memusi and Governor David Nkedianye.
- The Star