The naming of former television news presenter Louis Otieno in the inquest into the death of Ms Careen Chepchumba sparked a flurry of reactions from Kenyans on Twitter on Thursday.
In his heyday, Mr Otieno was a familiar figure in many a Kenyan household, having anchored the nine o’clock news at leading stations NTV, KTN and Citizen TV.
On Thursday morning, he was trending at number nine on hottest Twitter topics in Kenya after Ms Chepchumba’s father, Mr Hosea Kili, claimed that she had borrowed up to Sh3 million from friends and family to sustain Mr Otieno’s lavish lifestyle.
According to Mr Kili, she even borrowed to buy a Range Rover for Mr Otieno, with whom she was romantically involved.
Ms Chepchumba was found dead in her apartment at Santonia Court in Kilimani, Nairobi. She was 26 when she died under unclear circumstances four years ago.
A postmortem examination indicated that she was strangled.
Mr Otieno is expected to take to the witness stand when the inquest resumes its sessions on Friday next week.
-nairobinews.nation.co.ke
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MY DAUGHTER BORROWED MILLIONS TO MAKE LOUIS OTIENO HAPPY – FATHER
By BENSON MATHEKA
An inquest into the death of Careen Chepchumba, a former employee of Kenya Power, who died mysteriously four years ago, started on Wednesday before a Kibera court.
Ms Chepchumba, 26, was found lying dead on her bed at Santonia Court, off Kirichwa Road in Kilimani, Nairobi, on February 14, 2012.
Her father, Mr Hosea Kili, was the first to take the witness stand where he sensationally claimed his daughter had borrowed heavily from friends and family to finance the flashy lifestyle of the former television personality Louis Otieno.
“Trouble with Careen started when Louis Otieno moved to a house next to our’s in Rose Park Apartments, Kilimani. My wife was the first to notice that Careen was having a relationship with Louis Otieno,” he said.
He narrated that he started to lose money in unclear circumstances while in his house including Sh600,000 he intended to start a project.
“I later learnt that Careen was stealing my money. When I asked her, she admitted that she stole to pay Mr Otieno’s house rent, his upkeep and pay hospital bills,” he said.
According to his testimony, Careen, a former student of University of East Africa Baraton, moved out of her parents’ house without notifying them to rent her own apartment.
Mr Hosea Kili (centre), the father of the late Careen Chepchumba, sits with other family members during her requierm mass at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Nairobi, February 23rd, 2012. PHOTO | FILE
He claimed his daughter incurred heavy debts to finance Mr Otieno’s lifestyle including purchasing him a state of the art Range Rover.
“I started receiving shocking information from my friends and family members that she borrowed money from them. She had also used Sh1.2 million meant for a business venture to finance Mr Otieno’s lifestyle.
In total, she had borrowed Sh3,000,000 from her father’s friends and close family members. He also claimed his daughter was found dead a day after she had revealing to the family how Mr Otieno had been blackmailing her.
“In a meeting held in my house on February 12, 2012, she was full of remorse and revealed how Mr Otieno had been extorting money from her,” he said.
After the meeting, his son drove her to her apartment.
“That was the last time I saw my daughter alive,” he said.
A postmortem report indicated she had been strangled, according to the father.
Mr Louis Otieno has since denied involvement in Ms Chepchumba’s death. He is expected to testify in the inquest.
Source-nairobinews.nation.co.ke
