A tragic incident has struck the National Treasury following the death of one of its staff members, Evans Chirchir, under mysterious circumstances.
The case has raised serious concerns among his family, who believe his death might be linked to threats he received regarding a multi-million shilling tender.
According to the Medical Superintendent at Machakos Level 5, the body of Evans Chirchir was brought to the hospital by police officers from Chimvi Statio. Moreover, the officers identified and registered Chirchir’s body at the hospital morgue.
Evans Chirchir disappeared on Friday, August 31, according to his family lawyers. The family, anxious and unable to contact him, sought legal assistance to find out his whereabouts.
On Tuesday, September 3, the family’s lawyers, alongside some relatives, appeared at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi to file a habeas corpus—a legal action to demand the release of a person believed to be unlawfully detained.
However, before they could proceed, they were informed of Evans’ death, which was later confirmed by the family at Machakos Level 5 Hospital.
Philip Langat, one of the lawyers representing Chirchir’s family, expressed the family’s distress over the mysterious nature of Evans’ death.
“In light of those circumstances, we decided we would not proceed with the habeas corpus application and we came to the press. Ours is to inform the entire nation that this is an urgent matter that needs to be investigated expeditiously,” Philip Langat, a counsel of the deceased’s family said.
The family disclosed that Evans had previously voiced concerns about his safety, revealing that he had received death threats over a tender he was involved with at work.
“Mr Evans was found dead, and the family members confirmed when they visited the Machakos Level 5 Hospital. But before that, there were issues related to threats to the life of Evans Chirchir,” another lawyer Felix Keaton said.
The specifics of the tender were not disclosed, but the family’s lawyers suggested that the threats could be directly linked to his sudden and tragic demise.
“The circumstances surrounding his death are questionable and mysterious. The manner he was killed heinously by the criminals is raises eyebrows. It cannot be a coincidence that the issues of tender can be related to the death and as such we know what to speculate at this juncture,” Keaton said.
He further explained that before his disappearance, Evans had a meeting with some acquaintances in Machakos.
It was after this meeting that he vanished, leading to fears that the threats he had received might have materialised in the worst possible way.
“Evans informed his brother that he was receiving threats and his life was in danger. The question is, were the threats related to the tendering process? Even before he died, there were some friends who wanted to have a meeting with him at Machakos and after that meeting Evans disappeared,” Keaton said.
The family’s lawyers have called on the Inspector General of Police to expedite the investigation into Evans’ death. They emphasised the need for a thorough and impartial inquiry to uncover the truth behind the tragedy.
As the investigation begins, the family remains hopeful that the truth will be revealed and that justice will be served.