THE man photographed with Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta at the Hague was tried and acquitted for robbery with violence in 2005. Uhuru has gone to the constitutional court to urgently block any further publication of stories or photographs about Joseph Njoroge Thuo, ex-Mungiki leader Maina Njenga and himself. The case will be heard at 9am on Monday morning.
Uhuru's lawyer argues that any publication by the Star would constitute hate speech and violate Uhuru's right to a good reputation. "This is a blatant attempt at censorship. The facts are not disputed. Thuo was in the Hague beside Uhuru and Thuo was involved in a fracas with Maina Njenga. If the Deputy Prime Minister has a problem with the story, let him sue the Star for libel instead of wasting the time of the constitutional court," said Catherine Gicheru, Editor of the Star last night.
The offending Star story on April 24 was headlined 'Uhuru denies link to Njenga gunman'. Maina Njenga had claimed on Sunday April 22 at his church that Thuo had been sent to assassinate him. Alongside the story, the Star ran a photo of Uhuru in the Hague in September with Thuo apparently standing behind him, and a photo of Thuo at the church. The photos were headlined 'Is this the same man?'
Director of Communications Munyori Buku denied any link between Thuo and Uhuru. “There is no way the DPM could have known all the people who were at The Hague. Many people travelled on their own and they were paying for themselves,” said Buku at the time.
“During a press conference, anyone can stand behind the person making the address. You don’t expect the person addressing the press to know all the people standing behind him,” said Buku in reference to the photo of Uhuru at The Hague with Thuo.
On October 1, 2011 the Nation also published a photo of Uhuru laughing with Thuo at the Hague. The Nation photo caption specifically identified Thuo. The Nation and Star photos were sent to media houses from the Hague by Lawrence Maingi, Uhuru's official press photographer. Internal Security minister George Saitoti is expected in Parliament today to answer a question by Gwassi MP John Mbadi over the identity of Thuo.
On April 22, Thuo was beaten up at the Hope International Ministry church after Njenga's supporters found a gun in his car while he was meeting the ex-Mungiki leader. Four CID officers who came to investigate were also roughed up by Njenga's youth. Mbadi has demanded to know if Thuo is a licensed gun holder, when he was issued with a firearm and under what circumstances. Saitoti is also expected to provide details of the men who accompanied Thuo to Njenga's church and clarify whether they are licensed gun holders.
The businessman behind the Thuo Investment Company was questioned last year by police over the murder of former Kiambu County chairman Boniface Njenga Mweru who was shot dead by armed men on June 1, 2011 in Githiga. Mweru had been a business partner in the Thuo Investment Company until eight months earlier.
Central Province AP boss Joseph Keitany said thugs in a Silver Prado Land Cruiser belonging to Thuo Investments killed Mweru after he was stopped by a girl. When Njenga stopped, he was shot three times in the head at point blank range by a Ceska pistol. Police in Kiambu are yet to prosecute anyone in connection with the murder.
According to police file CR 216/148/2011, Thuo was questioned on June 3 by CID Kiambu over the murder of Mweru. Thuo told police that he was in his office in Thika when Mweru was killed.
Another robbery with violence case against Thuo was terminated on October 24, 2007 by then Nairobi Principal Magistrate Lilian Mutende who ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove their case. The magistrate said police had violated Thuo's constitutional rights by holding him for six months at Kamiti prison before pressing charges. Thuo was charged with violently robbing Raman Patel of Sh100,000 and impersonating a police officer on October 1, 2005.
On April 24, the Star received a threatening email from josephthuonjoroge@gmail.com, the same day it published the photos of Thuo in the Hague and at Hope International Church.
The email threatened the Star's Thika correspondent James Wainaina who wrote a story last June about Mweru's murder. "If you don't know me by now, I kill customers, employees and rats like James Wainaina," the email stated.Thuo denied at the time that he had sent the email. "I do not know anything about the email. Whoever has done that could have stolen my identity or wants you people to believe it is me. That is someone who is not a right thinking member of society. That is someone who is an extortionist," Thuo told the Star. On May 5 the Star filed a complaint with Kilimani Police station after Thuo threatened an editor.
Thuo visited the Star offices on Waiyaki Way on May 2 and threatened the Regional News Editor Joseph Olweny. He angrily said he had lost a Sh96 million business deal because the Star had published photos of him in the Hague and at Njenga's church. He told the editor that he could have the offices bombed or wrecked by 200 goons, and that he could make him disappear by putting him in a pot of acid.
On May 7 he phoned the Star and struck a more conciliatory tome. Thuo said that he had travelled to the Hague as a friend of Uhuru to provide moral support. He confirmed he was the man in the Star photo with Uhuru, blogger Dennis Itumbi and Jeff Koinange of K24. He claimed he could delink Uhuru from Mungiki because he understood the workings of the group and that he used to provide legal advice to Maina Njenga.
On April 25, a PNU minister close to Uhuru called Star Political Editor Paul Ilado and requested that the pictures of Thuo and Uhuru in the Hague should not be published again.
"The Star agreed to honour the request. But Uhuru has declared war by trying to censor us through the constitutional court. So now let the photos speak for themselves," said Star Editor Catherine Gicheru last night.
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