As ICT CS nominee William Kabogo was being vetted by the National Assembly’s Committee on Appointments, the Mercy Keino death controversy naturally resurfaced.
In June 2011, Mercy Keino, a University of Nairobi student, tragically died under mysterious circumstances. She was only 25 years old.
Public speculation linked Kabogo to the case due to his presence at a party she attended shortly before her death.
During the vetting, Kabogo firmly denied any involvement in Keino’s death.
“It is alleged that I invited people to a party. Mr. Speaker, that is not true,” he said.
“This is just a situation where you find yourself at a place at the wrong time.”
Kabogo insisted that he did not know Mercy Keino personally. And that the event occurred in a public restaurant with multiple groups of people.
And that he only learned about her death two weeks after the burial.
“Even if I had met her the day after the incident, I would not have recognized her,” Kabogo stated, adding that claims linking him to the tragedy were baseless.
Court Findings on the Death of Mercy Keino
Kabogo referred to a formal inquest held by the Milimani Magistrates’ Court in 2012, which concluded that Mercy Keino was the victim of a hit-and-run accident involving a truck.
The inquiry lasted more than a year. And all relevant individuals, including Kabogo, were cross-examined.
“I sat there for six days of cross-examination and was exonerated by the court,” Kabogo said.
“The court made a finding that the late Mercy Keino was a victim of a hit-and-run by a truck, and the matter rests there.”
Government pathologist Johansen Oduor supported the court’s findings, noting that Keino had sustained fatal injuries before her death and additional injuries caused by the hit-and-run accident.
“I sympathize with the family of Mercy Keino. May her soul rest in peace,” Kabogo said.
He also voiced hope that the person responsible for the hit-and-run would eventually come forward.
“As a God-fearing child, I believe that one day the truck driver, or whoever it was, will admit what they did. I hope that day will come,” Kabogo said.
By Vivian K.