Controversial Nairobi businessman Paul Kobia was yesterday
hospitalised under police guard at a City hospital, where he was taken
for mental check-up after he allegedly said he knew something about the
death of Fidel Castro Odinga.
There were two conflicting reports over how Kobia had landed in hospital, with one version saying he had been arrested by bodyguards of Nairobi Senator Mike Mbuvi Sonko for acting violently at a public place. However, a police version indicated that Kobia’s family members had called for police help after he started acting violently in the house.
It had been reported in a section of the media and on social media that he had bragged in a City pub that he knew something about the death of Fidel, the late son of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Acting Inspector General of Police Samuel Arachi said officers had been called by family members to assist them take Kobia to hospital for psychiatric observation after he acted violently.
According to reports in the social media, Kobia was arrested outside Village Market by Sonko’s bodyguards after he allegedly caused a stir by shouting “crazy and wild” things.
Both Nairobi Directorate of Criminal investigations boss Nicholas Kamwende and Gigiri Divisional Commander Vitalis Otieno said Kobia had been arrested and taken to the Gigiri Police Station before being moved to hospital for “mental problems”.
“Kobia has a mental problem and we have now transferred him to hospital. He has made many claims which are baseless for now because we think he has psychological issues,” said Kamwende.
“I gave him two officers to escort him to Chiromo Lane Hospital where he was admitted and attended to. Sonko later told People Daily that Kobia had caused some disturbance at Village Market by allegedly shouting “wild allegations about the death of late the Fidel”.
“He was arrested after he kept shouting my name and claiming to know circumstances surrounding the death of Fidel. I told my people to arrest and hand him over to the police,” said Sonko. “He has been invoking my name whenever he messes up in the city. I am not part of his problems and that should be known,” he said.
But Arachi denied that Kobia had been arrested in connection with what he said about Fidel’s death. Like her boss, Police spokeswoman Zipporah Mboroki said they suspected Kobia had “gone mad” and had to be taken to hospital for check-up. Kobia, who was alleged on social media to have claimed in a pub that he was involved in Fidel’s death, was said to have started speaking and shouting incoherently.
Last year, police disarmed Kobia of his browning pistol after he shot dead 31-year-old Wanjohi Mugwanja. Kobia claimed he had shot the man after he and two others snatched his phone worth Sh74,000 on Limuru Road. Police are still in possession of the firearm pending directions by the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on whether to charge him or not.
Upmarket hotel Last September, Kobia claimed he had been assaulted by Raila Odinga’s bodyguards in an upmarket hotel on Lenana Road. In November, 2010, Kobia alias Paul Ilunga Ngoei, was named in a 392 page UN report over gold smuggling from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He was arrested and charged puporting to sell 825 kilogrammes of gold and obtaining Sh17.4 million ($200,000 at the current exchange rate) from a South African Dennis Ray Schmelzenbach.
There were two conflicting reports over how Kobia had landed in hospital, with one version saying he had been arrested by bodyguards of Nairobi Senator Mike Mbuvi Sonko for acting violently at a public place. However, a police version indicated that Kobia’s family members had called for police help after he started acting violently in the house.
It had been reported in a section of the media and on social media that he had bragged in a City pub that he knew something about the death of Fidel, the late son of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Acting Inspector General of Police Samuel Arachi said officers had been called by family members to assist them take Kobia to hospital for psychiatric observation after he acted violently.
According to reports in the social media, Kobia was arrested outside Village Market by Sonko’s bodyguards after he allegedly caused a stir by shouting “crazy and wild” things.
Both Nairobi Directorate of Criminal investigations boss Nicholas Kamwende and Gigiri Divisional Commander Vitalis Otieno said Kobia had been arrested and taken to the Gigiri Police Station before being moved to hospital for “mental problems”.
“Kobia has a mental problem and we have now transferred him to hospital. He has made many claims which are baseless for now because we think he has psychological issues,” said Kamwende.
“I gave him two officers to escort him to Chiromo Lane Hospital where he was admitted and attended to. Sonko later told People Daily that Kobia had caused some disturbance at Village Market by allegedly shouting “wild allegations about the death of late the Fidel”.
“He was arrested after he kept shouting my name and claiming to know circumstances surrounding the death of Fidel. I told my people to arrest and hand him over to the police,” said Sonko. “He has been invoking my name whenever he messes up in the city. I am not part of his problems and that should be known,” he said.
But Arachi denied that Kobia had been arrested in connection with what he said about Fidel’s death. Like her boss, Police spokeswoman Zipporah Mboroki said they suspected Kobia had “gone mad” and had to be taken to hospital for check-up. Kobia, who was alleged on social media to have claimed in a pub that he was involved in Fidel’s death, was said to have started speaking and shouting incoherently.
Last year, police disarmed Kobia of his browning pistol after he shot dead 31-year-old Wanjohi Mugwanja. Kobia claimed he had shot the man after he and two others snatched his phone worth Sh74,000 on Limuru Road. Police are still in possession of the firearm pending directions by the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on whether to charge him or not.
Upmarket hotel Last September, Kobia claimed he had been assaulted by Raila Odinga’s bodyguards in an upmarket hotel on Lenana Road. In November, 2010, Kobia alias Paul Ilunga Ngoei, was named in a 392 page UN report over gold smuggling from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He was arrested and charged puporting to sell 825 kilogrammes of gold and obtaining Sh17.4 million ($200,000 at the current exchange rate) from a South African Dennis Ray Schmelzenbach.
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