Lamu senator denies death threat claims

Lamu Senator Anwar Loitiptip has denied claims he threatened to kill a Mombasa businesswoman he had a relationship with.

He said the woman, Hanifa Were, who called a press conference yesterday to accuse him of impregnating and abandoning her, was out to taint his image after their relationship failed to work.

Were, 36, said she met the Lamu senator in April on Facebook and began engaging in conversations.

Were, popularly known as Hanny Fynn, claims the senator sent her a message on  Facebook and an online friendship began. They then exchanged phone numbers.

“At first I thought it was a fake account but when he video-called me, I realised it was him. He told me that he was in need of a wife and would settle down in marriage with me. I was so convinced that I didn’t think twice,” she said.

Travel to Nairobi

Later, Were said, the senator asked her to travel to Nairobi where they met at a restaurant and then proceeded home together.

“He asked me to travel to Nairobi and when we met, he took me to a nearby shop where he bought me new clothes because we had to spend the night at his residence,” said Were.

While narrating her ordeal, Were told reporters that after spending two days at the senators residence, he began mistreating her which forced her to travel back to Mombasa.

She said after some time, she discovered she was pregnant  but on informing  Loitiptip, he stopped communicating  with her and started sending threatening messages. 

“I called the senator and told him about the pregnancy but  said he  has nothing to do with it. Since then, he has been threatening me and asking me to leave him alone,” she said.

 Were made the claims during a press conference at Muslims for Human Rights Organisation (Muhuri) offices in Nyali, Mombasa.

 But in a rejoinder,  Loitiptip termed the woman’s claims a ploy to taint his image. He admitted they have been in a relationship but says he realised it could not work.

“I am a married man, I thought she would make a wife but I later realised that she is older than me. I was not ready to settle down with her. She is too old for me,” he said, claiming the woman has been threatening to break his family.

He termed it a domestic affair that would have been solved individually but the woman is taking advantage of his position as a politician to blow the issue out of control, adding that the woman is not pregnant for him.

“She is forcing me to be with her, you cannot force a relationship, when I saw her photos I thought she was a young woman only to realise she is older than me. I told her it can’t work, but she does not want to understand,” said Anwar.

He said he has no intention of hurting  Were. “I will  leave the matter to God, her claims that I want to kill her are false. I have reported the matter to DCI in Nairobi and it is being followed up,” he added.