Thuo murder suspects detained for 8 more days

Paul Wainaina Boiyo alias Sheki, Christopher Lumbazio Andika alias Lumba, Andrew Karanja Wainaina, Samuel Kuria Ngugi alias Visi, Esther Ndinda Mulinge and Ruth Watahi Irungu alias Atlanta are all being accused of the murder/FELIX MAGARA

High Court Judge David Majanja allowed the continued detainment of the six on the strength of an affidavit sworn by homicide investigator Sergeant Martin Nyuguto.

“The six respondents shall continue to be held at Muthaiga Police Station for a period of eight days, the respondents may renew the application for bail formally at the next court appearance on January 14, 2014 for plea or further orders,” Majanja ordered.

In the affidavit presented to the court by state counsel Catherine Mwaniki, Nyuguto also submitted that the eight days would allow for the mental competency of the suspects to be ascertained.

But while having no objection to the continued investigations, lawyer Cliff Ombeta contested the continued detainment of his clients who have been behind bars since Friday.

“Now that there are no charges before the court at the moment, and the accused persons just being suspects, if they could be granted bond,” Ombeta asked the court.

Mwaniki however opposed this arguing that the suspects could interfere with the investigations.

Majanja denied Ombeta’s request giving the reason that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions had supplied sufficient grounds in its Notice of Motion.

The four men and two women, are Paul Wainaina Boiyo alias Sheki, Christopher Lumbazio alias Lumba, Andrew Karanja Wainaina, Samuel Kuria Ngugi alias Visi, Esther Ndinda Mulinge and Ruth Watahi Irungu alias Atlanta.

According to Ombeta, they are the waitress that served Thuo on November 17, 2013, the DJ at Porkies Gardens Restaurant in Thika town where he collapsed, a woman who bought him a beer and three men he had been drinking with allegedly including his “best friend.”

The six were arrested after investigations revealed that Thuo’s death, “was due to haemorrhagic gastroenteritis acute due to suspected chemical poisoning,” Nyuguto’s affidavit reads.

Ombeta however maintained that his clients had no motive for killing Thuo and that the poisoning could have resulted from an adverse reaction between his hypertension medication and alcohol.

About The Author

OLIVE BURROWS

With a decade of storytelling under her belt, Olive Burrows has been with Capital FM for the last four years and perhaps most notably interviewed US President Barack Obama. Committed to asking the hard questions and telling the story in the most engaging way possible, she has also interviewed Melinda Gates, a UK Minister and severally had the opportunity to sit across from President Uhuru Kenyatta and address the pressing issues of the day. Other notables she has had occasion to seek answers from are UN Secretary General António Guterres and John Kerry in his time as US Secretary of State.

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