The Anchor October-November stories

Missing motive in

Father's shooting

By ANCHOR WRITERS

THE State Law Office is reported to have approved an attempted murder charge for suspended Priest in Charge of Wote Parish Father John Wambua Makewa.

The approval was reached after a State Counsel at the Attorney General’s Chambers in Machakos concluded a perusal of the voluminous file presented to the office by the Embu based Provincial Criminal Investigations Officer.

The file was forwarded by former Eastern PCIO Ms Kiamba after she received it from the Makueni Criminal Investigations Office.

Sources say that police have been instructed to arrest the suspended priest and charge him.

 Makewa was suspended on September 12 2010. His suspension was announced to the Catholic Ordinaries, parishes, Con-vents and catholic installations in a circular by Bishop Martin Musonde dated September 30, 2010.

The suspension opens the way for police to grab Fr Makewa and haul him to court without caveats occasioned by his priesthood.

Police have recorded statements from over 22 witnesses, some of whom saw the shooting incident that left Father Nzuki bedridden at Mater Hospital. He has since been discharged but has been going to the hospital daily for physiotherapy.

Those who have seen the statements say Police has missed one key aspect of the investigation: The motive.

The motive of the shooting still re-mains the missing link in the investigation, sending investigators to believe that there is more than meets the eye in the evidence that they are holding.

The shooting incident, on March 20,2010 happened as Father Nzuki, two other priests and a catechist were visiting Fr Makewa at his Wote residence.

Initially, it was reported that suspected gangsters raided the residence forcing Father Makewa to open fire in an effort to fight back at about 4.15 on the fateful day.

When gunshots rang out that night, Father Nzuki was left injured and bleeding profusely. He sustained a shot on his arm and another between his legs.

Reports made to the Police in Wote, Makueni District that morning by Father Makewa indicated that the alleged gangsters fired at the house, injuring the visiting Father Nzuki and forcing Father Makewa to return fire to repulse the alleged thugs.

This is the same version Fr Makewa told The Anchor when the matter first came to light. He did not rule out that a bullet may have ricocheted and hit Fr Nzuki. Those close to him say he sees the unfolding events as an effort to thwart his chances of becoming the Catholic Bishop of Makueni, when the a new diocese is created.

 The Priests allege that they were woken up by gunfire with Father Makewa shouting that the house was under attack. They could not hear the attackers other than gunshots that made them believe that they were under attack. It could not have been that the fire was coming from the priest’s gun, they thought.

Investigators are keen to understand why a priest would shoot his visiting colleague. Could there have been a provocation leading to a mad rage that resulted in the shooting?

Could there have been a struggle over some resource- whether passion driven, financial or sheer rivalry between the two friendly priests, whose relationship was so fabled that those who heard what happened are still disbelieving that  the incident ever took place?

Several theories have been advanced as possible reason of shooting. There are highly unsubstantiated allegations that they may have been struggling over a nun. Other wild guesses alleged there could have been disputes over a gay relationship, although this has been dismissed because both priests exude heterosexual mannerisms.

So why would a father want to kill another if there exists no known dispute; or could the assailant have been dreaming when the incident happened? These are the questions CID officers have been posing as they seek to get to the bottom of the matter.

This has led Police to dig into Fr Makewa’s gun history. Makewa in on record as having shot dead a dog when he was the parishioner at Katangi Parish as another priest flashed a torch on its head, sending the priest to a shock to this day.

It is also reported that Fr Makewa shot and killed a person who is alleged to be a thief as he allegedly scaled a wall within the residence.

Nzuki, is pursuing a Masters Degree in Business Administration in Nairobi. The relationship between the pair has been such that they were seemingly inseparable. He was a constant visitor of Makewa and according to his own account; there has never been a known disagreement.

Nzuki’s account of the shooting tells how he reluctantly took hold of a gun thrust to him by his senior and instructed to crawl towards the door and open it.

A police source says there is no doubt in Nzuki’s mind who his assailant was. His statement is replete with exchanges that police are seeking to knit together and develop a motive for the shooting.

It is alleged that this version of events has been collaborated by a cook who was in the house that night. The cook is reported to have send one of the priests- Fr Boniface Kioko hiding in the wardrobe when he (the cook) knocked on his door after a lull of the gun thunder. The priest thought that the thugs had come knocking, only to realize later that it was the cook.

Makewa was one of the regular visitors in Mater hospital until the visits were abruptly stopped after the ailing priest was reported to have had nightmares and sleepless nights arising from the tragedy of the night of attack.

Shortly after, The Bishop of Machakos Catholic Diocese, the Rt. Rev Martin Kivuva instructed Father Makewa to step aside as head of the Parish to allow police carry out independent investigations. He was to report back to the bishop on May 22, 2010 for further deployment or instructions and that has not been possible due to the pace of the probe.

Makewa is an experienced priest who has come a long way, clashing with the administration over various issues, the latest being a showdown with a former Makueni DC over alleged theft and sale of famine relief food.

Investigators are said to be approaching the matter carefully as they know that past clashes with the priest may be seen to have a hand in their probe.

Makewa was seen, along Father Pius Kyule, and Father Mondiu as possible successors of the late Bishop Urbanus Kioko as Bishop of Machakos but the appointment of Bishop Kivuva, then based as Kwale sprung a surprise that may have send discomfort to some of the priests- key among them father Makewa who has bestrode the catholic scene in Machakos like a colossus.

Sources in some sections of the church believe that the investigation may be swayed by a purported fight for who will be the new Bishop of the Makueni Diocese, a belief that may actually be far-fetched.

The Anchor has been unable to reach any of the priests in Makewa’s house on the fateful night. However Police recorded statements from them, the injured priest and Father Makewa him-self. Indeed they have taken two statements from Father Makewa.

Police sources say that fingerprints and ballistic experts examined the guns recovered from the priest and con-firmed that the bullet that hit Father Nzuki were fired from the Rifle Father Makewa   held at the time of attack. Now the biggest headache for the police is to append a motive for the shooting.

Those privy to the probe say Police are investigating Father Makewa’s gun history- from the time he was licensed to carry weapons, his use of ammunition, incidents involving his use of the gun and storage in an attempt to decipher a motive for the shooting.