Nairobi — The family of the Kenyan informer murdered in the mysterious saga of wanted Rwanda genocide suspect Felicien Kabuga, learnt of the death through the media.

The family yesterday said that they were shocked to learn that William Munuhe had been shot dead.

Narrating their agony, the family members said the news reports that Munuhe had been shot through the head hit them hard, because the police had earlier informed them that he had died of natural causes.

They were still reeling in shock yesterday upon learning that he was killed by a hit squad after he allegedly convinced Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) agents pursuing Kabuga and Kenyan security officers that he would lure the Rwandese to his Karen residence.

Kabuga is thought to have been hiding in Kenya since last year and the US administration has claimed that he enjoyed the protection of prominent people in the previous government - a charge repeated by the Rwandese Ambassador to Kenya yesterday.

Munuhe's mother was the last family member to see him alive when she visited him at his Karen home two days before he was murdered.

The family is yet to come to terms with the fact that their son could have been involved in international deals touching on cross-border security and that he had links with the alleged Rwanda genocide mastermind, Kabuga.

Yesterday, they announced that they had hurriedly called off the burial ceremony slated for tomorrow to allow comprehensive investigations into the matter.

Munuhe's weeping mother, Mrs Lydia Wangui Gichuki , 50, said police initially made them believe that her son died of natural causes after he inhaled carbon-monoxide from a charcoal stove he was allegedly using to warm himself.

She said three CID officers in the company of her late son's girlfriend visited their Muruguru home in Nyeri District on Saturday night and broke the sad news.

Acting on this information, the family went ahead to arrange the burial, which was scheduled for today, innocently believing the police version.

Mrs Gichuki said the family was shocked when they read newspaper reports that their son was actually shot dead by a hit squad after a bungled spying mission.

The FBI team and a squad of Kenyan police officers had laid in wait for many hours for Kabuga to appear at Munuhe's residence, but in vain.

They reportedly called him on his mobile phone, but failed to reach him after many attempts. The security men made no contact with Munuhe for three days after which they broke the door to his house and found him dead inside.

Munuhe, 27, is said to have been killed after he convinced the FBI agents and Kenyan security officers that he would lure Kabuga to his house for arrest .

The genocide suspect has a US$5 million (Sh400 million) prize on his head offered by the US government for information leading to his capture.

On Tuesday, the US government conceded that Munuhe was an informer. Ambassador Johnnie Carson said the US regretted the killing.

He said the media reports that Munuhe had been shot in the head by a hit squad were "regrettably true". The confirmation of the shooting came as a major shock to the slain man's family.

A burning charcoal stove was placed next to his bed to make it look like he (Munuhe) had died of carbon monoxide poisoning, but further examinations revealed that he had been shot through the ear.

Mrs Gichuki said she had not known her son to warm himself from a stove and neither had she seen any stove in the house during her many visits.

She said the family had called off the burial slated for Friday to await further developments.

The family further complained that they are being kept in the dark on the circumstances surrounding the death and had to rely on sketchy details they are reading and hearing in the media.

Mrs Gichuki said they had dispatched some of the family members including her husband, a retired police officer, Mr Nicholas Gichuki Muindo, to keep track of the FBI and Kenya Police investigations.

It also emerged that the family knew very little of what business their kin was conducting in Nairobi when they confessed that they only knew him as a "journalist" .

The family last saw Munuhe during the 2002 Christmas period when he visited Nyeri and lavished the family members and former school mates with gifts.

After meeting his family members, the late Munuhe then teamed up with his schoolmates, who accompanied him to Nyeri town, where he again lavishly treated them to drinks and food at a local hotel

Munuhe's elder brother, Mr Andrew Mwangi, an electronic technician in Nairobi, said the family was yet to come to terms with the fact that his brother could have been the target of international hit men.

Mwangi said they did not know what kind of work Muhune did in Nairobi, but they only knew him as a journalist who used to write for the long defunct Star newspaper.

However, he said Munuhe lived a comfortable life in Nairobi but they never bothered to know exactly how he earned his living.

Those who knew Munuhe described him as jovial person who was very generous, hard working and with an expectional talent in writing.

Mwangi said his brother was well-versed in the English language from his secondary school days at Mathaithi School which he left in 1995.

Munuhe's twin sister said, amid sobs, that the last time she saw him alive was on Christmas Day last year when he visited their rural home in Nyeri.

She remembers that Munuhe was in high spirits and threw a party for them before he returned to Nairobi the following day.

Munuhe's mother said she had visited her son's home in Karen many times and that she also visited on Monday, two days before they were informed of his death.

The family expressed optimism that the Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister, Mr Kiraitu Murungi, will live up to his promise of leaving no stone un-turned until the perpetrators of the act are arrested and prosecuted.

"We believe the combined forces of Kenyan and US security personnel will pursue the matter until the truth is known. We want to know what led to his killing," Mwangi said.

Meanwhile, the Rwandan Embassy in Nairobi yesterday said that it gave the previous Kenya Government information about the presence of Kabuga in the country, reports Dominic Wabala.

However, the embassy officials led by Ambassador Seth Esri Kamanzi, yesterday charged that the former government did nothing to apprehend the fugitive .

Kamanzi said his government had made information available, but for unknown reasons, the fugitive wanted for the massacre of over 1 million Tutsis was never arrested.

The envoy alleged that some leading personalities in the previous government offered unlimited protection to the fugitive, adding that Kabuga had joint businesses with them.

" For a long time we had information that he was in Kenya involved in business with prominent Kenyans. For unknown reasons, the government of the day did not take any measures to arrest him. We know he is still in the country and is being protected, " he said

The envoy warned that those who are protecting Kabuga are committing a crime and should be prepared to pay the price for protecting an international criminal.

He said his government was confident that the Narc government will help arrest the most wanted Rwandese fugitive.

He said that the Rwandan government believes that the fugitive is not acting alone and has accomplices who could probably be other genocide fugitives hiding in Kenya, although they could not be as high-ranking as Kabuga.

"We don't think Kabuga, the architect and financier of the Rwandan genocide that claimed 1 million lives is acting alone. He must be having accomplices both local and some minor fugitives assisting him, " he said

The envoy said Kabuga has used his vast wealth to avoid arrest. "If there had been political will, Kabuga would have been arrested, but for some reason Kabuga was untouchable".

He said that it was apparent that Kabuga is an international terrorist because he is also implicated in the killing of American tourists in Uganda's Bwindi forest and recently the Kenyan informer Munuhe.

"Available indicators show that he is still in Kenya. Quite a good number of genocide perpetrators are in hiding in Kenya. However, we appreciate the measures the government took to arrest over 30 other fugitives who are currently facing trial in Arusha," the ambassador noted

He revealed that Nairobi still remains an important transit point for the genocide architects who come from neighbouring countries.

He said that the Rwandan embassy was doing everything to get information about the whereabouts of Kabuga and other fugitives wanted for the genocide.

And the Government yesterday released details of how Munuhe was killed, adds Ben Agina.

At the same time, the Government, through the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has assigned Assistant Commissioner of Police Sammy Mathenge to investigate Munuhe's death of Munuhe.

In a statement signed by Mr Gideon Kibunjah on behalf of CID Director Francis Sang, the department has assigned ACP Mathenge to investigate the death of Munuhe.

The CID boss said the pathologist's examination of the body at the scene did not reveal any bullet wound.

A post-mortem examination of the body was to be carried out yesterday to establish the cause of death.

The department said extensive investigations have been continuing to trace and arrest Kabuga.

He said a number of people have been interviewed by the CID , including a former Permanent Secretary in the Office of the President, Mr Zakayo Cheruiyot.

The CID boss said that during his interview at the CID Headquarters, Cheruiyot vehemently denied having met or dealt with the Rwandan fugitive in any way.

Cheruiyot , according to the CID, gave the Director some letters he said had been written to him by one Munuhe Gichuki.

In one of the letters signed by Munuhe, the writer indicated that he knew Kabuga and wanted to assist in delivering the suspect to the US Government.

On December 30 2002, the CID Director managed to contact Munuhe after several attempts through one of the mobile phone numbers on one of the letters to Cheruiyot.

The CID boss then requested Munuhe to see him at CID Headquarters to discuss the details of the contents of the note.

The director says Munuhe was reluctant and only promised to call back, but failed to do so.

On the following day, the investigators said they attempted to reach Munuhe through the mobile phone but without success as the phone was apparently switched off.

On January 15, 2003, a senior official at the US Embassy in Kenya called at CID headquarters with information that "his contact" had arranged to deliver Kabuga in a house within Karen area.

On the request of the American official for back-up, a team of CID officers led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Peter Kavila, was assigned to join US agents on an ambush to apprehend the Rwandan fugitive.

The operation was to begin at 1pm and was called off at 7pm after the American officials' contact failed to call him.

On January 17, 2003, the US official telephoned CID headquarters and expressed apprehension over the security of his still undisclosed informer.

The official said he was concerned because his informer had not contacted him and that he checked the compound of his informer and found a vehicle parked outside.

The official requested and was granted a team of officers led by Mr Kavila, to check on the whereabouts of the informer.

On arrival at the Karen house they found the house locked and had to break in, where they found the body of a male adult whose name was revealed as Munuhe Gichuki, lying on a bed with some blood.

A Government pathologist was called to the scene and examined the body before it was removed to the mortuary.

The pathologist's examination of the body at the scene did not reveal any bullet wound.

The CID have called on the public and the media to avoid unnecessary speculation on the death.