A new twist has been brought into the disappearance of Thika businessman Julius Gitau after the mother recounted the events before going missing.
In an interview with Daily Nation, the mother, Rosemary Wanjiru has intimated that his son was experiencing business and marital issues.
For instance, Wanjiru recounts that his business had recorded a 70 percent decline in revenue due to the effects of COVID-19 on the economy. Ultimately, auctioneers had reportedly been on his case with threats to have his assets liquidated.
The businessman having three wives also contributed to his troubles as there were underlying marital issues, the mother says.
Read: Wife Of Missing Thika Businessman Under Probe As Police Detect Lies In Her Statement
“Gitau told me that he was having problems with suppliers. Five firms had even started sending auctioneers to his two general merchandise shops in Thika Town,” stated Wanjiru.
She added, “Proud and stubborn, my son hates any form of embarrassment and has a very dry sense of humor, that is why those public tiffs with creditors were taking a toll on his mental health.”
Last week, the Police shifted their focus to Lucy Wahu, the third wife of missing Julius Gitau who went missing three weeks ago.
The police felt Wahu and Gitau’s driver, Geoffrey Wachira, could have lied in their statements to the police, suggesting a forced disappearance and conspiracies to cover up.
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First of all, Wahu and Wachira while reporting Gitau’s disappearance, indicated his age as 60 instead of 44, raising suspicion on whether Wahu knew the real age of her husband.
“The two reported Gitau as missing at around 4 pm. Of great interest is that they indicated Gitau’s age to be 60 whereas we have since confirmed that he was born in 1976,” said Gatanga Police boss Peter Mucheru.
Also, Wahu indicated that she boarded a matatu with Gitau at Ndururumo terminus and arrived at work at around 8 am. However, employees in their Thika hardware said that Gitau did not report to work that day.
Wahu also said that they did not use a personal car since they did not have fuel, but reports indicate that all his eight personal cars were in good condition.
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“The wife’s claim that he (Gitau) lacked petrol to fuel his cars is weird. In the two shops, his employees say he did not show up,” said Kiambu Business Community Chairman Alfred Wanyoike.
Mr Wachira, Gitau’s nephew, and Wahu reported the matter at 4 pm. In Wachira’s statement, he says he was called by Gitau at 10 am to go and collect the lorry that Gitau used to go to the gym. In the lorry, he said he found a suicide note, masking tape and Gitau’s phone on the dashboard. Detectives felt that Wachira lied since a suicide note could have triggered immediate reporting to the police.
Also, preliminary investigations have established that the suicide note was not authored by missing Gitau.
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“He told us that he found Gitau’s phone ringing inside the cabin and switched it off. He also found a masking tape and a suicide note that hinted that its author had lost hope in life due to financial stress and had decided to jump into a river. Strangely, Wachira did not see any urgency to report the matter,” said Mucheru.
Since Gitau went missing, his businesses have remained shut as his three wives fight over who should manage them.
“The emerging issues now strongly point to a conspiracy theory that puts his wife and the driver in the middle of it. The two are the only ones aware whether Gitau is dead or alive,” Mucheru said.
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