William Kabogo Discusses the Death of Mercy Keino Being Beaten: “She Was Hit by a Truck”

The controversial death of Mercy Keino in 2011 tarnished the profile of former Kiambu governor William Kabogo, with whom the deceased and others were hanging out at a cafe in Nairobi
It was claimed that Keino, a university student, died after a confrontation with Kabogo
While appearing before the Parliamentary committee on January 14, 2025, Kabogo explained that the investigation revealed that the deceased died in a hit and run incident

Nairobi – Former governor of Kiambu William Kabogo once again he has tried to free himself from the suspicions of being at the center of the controversial death of Mercy Keino.

Technology Minister-designate William Kabogo when he appeared before the Parliamentary Nomination Committee on Tuesday, January 14. Photo: William Kabogo.
Source: Twitter

Keino was allegedly killed in Westlands, Nairobi.

Keino was found dead on the road after attending a party in Westlands, where he was involved in a dispute with Kabogo, who was then representing Juja Constituency in the 10th Parliament.

Since then, Kabogo was blamed for the tragic incident.

The issue was raised during the session of the Parliamentary Nominating Committee on Tuesday, January 14.

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Kabogo had come before the committee to be pressed to take the post of Minister of Technology and Communications.

Responding to a question raised by a member of the committee, the former governor insisted that he was not involved in any way with Keino, as was widely alleged.

He said that he first met Keino unknowingly at the restaurant where the party was held and he came to know about his death weeks later, after his funeral.

“This is just a situation where you find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was a public place, a restaurant, and there were several groups of people there, and the matter of Keino's death came to me two weeks after he was buried. And even if I had met him the day after of that restaurant, I wouldn't recognize him. It's a sad story, and a Kenyan's life was lost, but I was not involved in any way.” Kabogo said.

He revealed to the committee members that he was involved in the investigation into the death.

Kabogo said the investigation revealed that Keino died as a result of being hit by an overturned truck.

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“The investigation was held in the Magistrate's Court of the Mountains. The investigation took about a year and a half. And all the people mentioned were invited, even those who were not there. Including me.

“It is a sad story. There were videos played about the incident in the restaurant. And when I was talking to the father of the deceased at the inquest, I was advising him not to watch those videos, because they were not good for a parent,” Kabogo remembered.

Until his death, Keino was a student studying for a master's degree at the University of Nairobi.

At the same time, Kabogo had to defend himself due to another complex accusation; involved in the drug trade.

How Kabogo denied allegations of involvement in narcotics

He denied the allegations made in a 2010 report submitted to the 10th Parliament by former Internal Security Minister George Saitoti.

Saitoti's report had mentioned Kabogo along with former MPs Hassan JohoGideon Mbuvi, and deputy minister Harun Mwau, as they were being investigated for activities related to narcotics.