Lilian Waithera Could Have Been A Whistleblower- Kalonzo

Wiper party leader, Kalonzo Musyoka has claimed that National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) employee Lilian Waithera could have been a whistleblower prior to her mysterious death on Monday, February 13.

Speaking on Friday, February 17 during the Azimio rally in Kisii County, Kalonzo poured water on NHIF's denial that Waithera may have been assassinated after exposing a Ksh1 billion corruption scandal involving a former senior employee by the name of Geoffrey Mwangi.

The former vice-president further revealed that Waithera's driver had turned her down when she requested to be driven from NHIF's offices in Upperhill, Nairobi, thereafter forcing her and a friend to walk nearly five kilometres to Kaunda Street in the Central Business District (CBD), where Waithera collapsed.

Portrait photo of the late Lilian Waithera. /KELXFY

"There was a woman who was shot by a sniper and this woman, from information, could be a whistleblower, just like the one for the IEBC. She was working at NHIF and was coming from their offices in Upperhill, the driver said she cannot carry her because he will be late, so she and her friend walked on foot to Kaunda street where she was shot.

"They saw that she collapsed and the nearby police officers rushed her to hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival," he addressed.

He called for Kenyans to be on the alert in the event they decide to stage peaceful demonstrations to avoid cases of citizens collapsing on the street at random.

Kalonzo further warned the media against reporting conclusively that Waithera's death was not an assassination plot, amidst investigations to determine the probable location of the sniper that shot at her.

"Regarding the current investigations, the media should not rush to report that it was not an assassination plot, how do they know? A woman was shot, perhaps this is the practice...you know one can fire without a gunshot being heard so that they can revive political assassinations in Kenya 

"We must be on the alert. Perhaps when Kenyans decide to do peaceful demonstrations you might see others collapsing at random, this is a test and we must stop it," he added.

Kalonzo further advocated for the Azimio leaders to follow up on the assassination plot, fearing that it was a political practice on what malicious intentions lie in wait in the future.

Waithera had collapsed and died as she was walking home in the company of her colleagues on the fateful day from the Upperhill area. Speaking to the media on Thursday, February 16, Damaris Achieng’ indicated that the deceased held her chest as she uttered 'nimeumia' (I am hurt) before collapsing to the ground.

After her fall, two men joined them to inquire about what had happened. Achieng' then called medics - who later took the deceased to a city-based hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Waithera's colleague countered reports that they walked to the CBD from the Upperhill offices, having used public transportation to town while on their way home.

Nairobi Regional Police Commander Adamson Bungei threw a major twist after he disclosed that autopsy results showed that the bullet was found in her lungs, despite eyewitnesses reporting not hearing a gunshot in the affected area in the city.

“The bullet entered through the collar bone having been fired from an elevated angle," he stated, adding that the bullet was fired by someone atop one of two buildings along Kaunda Street now placed at the centre of investigations.

Mystery emerged across the country following the police boss' finding over the source of the bullet and the possible preliminary location, with reports revealing that the assailant could have been a sniper who could have used a silencer to avoid drawing widespread attention, with a cartridge remaining in the gun, reports the police are yet to confirm.

Bungei further intimated that they would use the blood spot and trajectory of the bullet to tell where the shot was fired.

“Two theories that we are pursuing are either a possible murder or where a gun holder recklessly dislodges a bullet from an elevated angle and accidentally lands on an innocent person,’’ a detective intimated to Nation.

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) closed the entire Kaunda Street on Thursday and also visited surrounding buildings along the street to triangulate the point where the mysterious bullet that was discovered in Waithera's lungs came from.

Additionally, the officers collected CCTV footage from the surrounding building as they sought to establish events before the 5 pm incident. However, the police were hesitant to comment on their preliminary findings even as they promised to issue a detailed report in due course.

At the time of her death, Waithera was a Registration Officer based at the NHIF Upper Hill branch office. Her husband, Paul Mbogo, indicated that she had not shown any signs that her life was in danger.