Police Address Reports of Death Of IEBC Returning Officer 

Police have dismissed claims that Geoffrey Gitobu, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commissioner (IEBC) Returning Officer for the Gichugu constituency in Kirinyaga County, was murdered on Monday, August 22.

Speaking to the media, Laikipia County Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Onesmus Towett disclosed that though his death had occurred on Monday afternoon, it was a sudden death and not a murder as alleged.

Towett added that Gitobu had collapsed in Nanyuki, where he had gone to see his family. He was rushed to hospital where he succumbed.

IEBC officials guiding voters at a polling station. /FILE

"The case was reported yesterday at around 2.38 pm and the report was of the sudden death of someone who had collapsed in town (Nanyuki).

"He was rushed to the hospital where he was confirmed dead. So no person has killed another one. No case of murder has been reported here," Towett addressed.

The DCI boss added that investigations were launched to establish the cause of his death, with a post mortem scheduled for Wednesday morning, August 24.

"He collapsed, the report was sudden death, we are investigating the cause of that death, and we have opened an inquiry and a Post-mortem will be carried out tomorrow at 9:00 am to identify the cause of death as from now take like that as a sudden death.”

Gichugu was rocked by violence after supporters of Kirinyaga Governor Ann Waiguru and her challenger, Kirinyanga Woman Representative Wangui Ngirici clashed and disrupted ongoing tallying over counter-accusations of vote rigging.

His death comes after IEBC Returning Officer for Embakasi East constituency Daniel Mbolu Musyoka was found dead on Tuesday, August 15 after going missing four days earlier.

An autopsy done on Musyoka indicated that he was strangled to death. The exercise was conducted by a team of five pathologists sent to Oloitokitok Sub-County Hospital Mortuary to operate on his body before issuing the report.

However, it failed to provide a conclusive report on the cause of his death. The pathologists also carried to Nairobi some components for further forensic investigations.

Musyoka was a national headline after IEBC chairperson, Wafula Chebukati, announced on Friday, August 12 that he had been reported missing.

Oloitokitok police boss, Kipruto Ruto revealed on Tuesday, August 16 that Musyoka's body was dumped in a place where wild animals were common, but he was not mauled. In addition, the body had fresh wounds, indicating that the murder took place before his body was discovered.

Musyoka's brother-in-law, Jackson Muimi and his sister Ann Mbolu revealed that Musyoka was a God-fearing man and that his death stemmed from a refusal to be bribed by his killers to manipulate numbers in the just-concluded elections.

Slain Embakasi East Returning Officer Daniel Musyoka. /STANDARD DIGITAL