| | | Life has never been the same since Jacob Juma was murdered- wife
The Nairobian By Hudson Gumbihi
May 4, 2019
 Jacob Juma's widow Miriam Wairimu [Photo: Courtesy] The widow of slain businessman Jacob Juma is not convinced police will bring to book the killers who executed him three years ago, this month.
Miriam Wairimu told The Nairobian that Kenya has a long history of assassinations, some of which have never been solved, and only finds solace in God whom she says knows Juma’s murderers, including those who killed Nyandarua North MP JM Kariuki whom she says is her relative.
Juma, a rubble-rouser, was killed exactly three years ago. He was silenced in a drive-by attack along Ngong Road while heading to his Karen home on May 5, 2016. He was regarded as a billionaire with interests in real estate, road construction and mining.
“In the past, we have had similar killings. I don’t expect anything to come out of the investigations on my husband’s murder. It is only God who knows the killers, ” says Miriam. She adds that though more than 20 people, among them Juma’s relatives and friends were interviewed, the family is still in darkness regarding the status of the investigations, as “no officer has talked to me about the outcome of the investigations.”
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The killers have never been known, neither is the motive, with police remaining tight-lipped over the matter. Juma was seemingly aware of plans to eliminate him and even posted his fears on Twitter.
 Jacob Juma [Photo: Courtesy] Talking to the media for the first time since burying her husband in Mungore village, Bumula constituency, Miriam says life has never been the same. It is a struggle picking up the pieces in a silent home. “It has been a struggle every single day. You know Juma was the family’s sole breadwinner,” says Miriam while reminding this writer she is still mourning.
“I find it difficult and struggle to ensure the children don’t drop out of schools,” says Miriam who was a housewife, solely dependent on Juma.
Read Also: Is Jacob Juma burial ‘torch’ working on his killers?
After Juma’s burial, Miriam realised she was all on her own. Very few people have been on her side.
“We are stuck. Nobody is helping me educate my children,” she says, adding that her husband lost a substantial amount of money when the licence of his Cortec Mining Kenya Ltd company was withdrawn.
Juma’s political and business associates felt his killing was premeditated, given the manner in which it was executed. The killers were believed to be assassins. They never bothered to take his two mobile phones and cash.
 The family members of the late Jacob Juma [Photo: Courtesy] When an update on the progress of investigations was sought from Inspector General Joseph Boinnet a few days before he officially left office, the former police boss dodged the matter. He never responded to a text message about the matter, nor did he pick our subsequent phone calls.
It is unclear whether arrests were made despite police indicating days after Juma was killed that they had a clue on the weapon that was used to eliminate the outspoken businessman and sometimes controversial tycoon.
Read Also: Things I learnt from Jacob Juma’s death
The police revelations came after ballistic examination of two empty cartridges “recovered” from the scene where Juma was murdered, matched with a gun found on four suspects shot dead near Nyayo Stadium.
“The areas covered in investigations include ballistic examination of two spent cartridges recovered from the scene which show they were from an AK 47 rifle. Examination of two similar weapons recovered during recent encounters with criminals indicates one of them could be the murder weapon. This could therefore lead to the arrest of the murderers of the late Jacob Juma,” Boinnet had said.
But that assurance has not borne fruits. Juma’s murder file might be gathering dust either at Karen Police Station or DCI headquarters along Kiambu Road.
Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti was for several days cagey when prodded whether detectives had hit a brick wall. “Murder cases remain active or alive as long as practicable. No one can stall a murder case,” said the DCI boss in a text message response. |
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