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Harrison Okumu alias "Boy" who donned a green T-Shirt and jeans but looked frail, appeared before Justice Hilary Chemitei who however deferred the plea/FILE

Kenya

Suspected Kisumu serial killer appears in court

Harrison Okumu alias "Boy" who donned a green T-Shirt and jeans but looked frail, appeared before Justice Hilary Chemitei who however deferred the plea/FILE

Harrison Okumu alias “Boy” who donned a green T-Shirt and jeans but looked frail, appeared before Justice Hilary Chemitei who however deferred the plea/FILE

KISUMU, Kenya, Aug 13 – The suspected Kisumu serial killer was dramatically brought before the High Court amidst tight security, but did not plead to charges.

Harrison Okumu alias “Boy” who donned a green T-Shirt and jeans but looked frail, appeared before Justice Hilary Chemitei who however deferred the plea.

No charge was read to him, after Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Douglas Ogoti told the judge that the suspect was yet to be allocated a lawyer as required by the law.

“My Lord as the law requires, the suspect cannot take plea since he has no lawyer to represent him in this case,” said Ogoti.

Ogoti further said that the suspect was yet to be mentally examined in order to ascertain whether he is fit to stand trial for murder.

The suspect had a chance to speak and told the packed court that his homestead had been burnt down by unknown people and that his relatives are yet to visit him.

However, the judge told him that he would have an opportunity to petition the court at the right time since his case is yet to commence.

Justice Chemitei ordered that suspect – who was guarded by two armed officers while in court – be taken for a mental examination before he can take plea.

He further ordered that he be accorded a lawyer before he can take a plea on September 4 after the medical report is out.

Earlier, the suspect was brought to the court under tight security by administration and plainclothes officers who sealed off the Kisumu Law Courts before he was taken in.

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The officers had a rough time controlling the crowd that surged to get a glimpse of the suspect whose photos they took in court before the proceedings commenced.

Several prison officers sealed off the court precincts before and after the suspect’s appearance.

The suspect who has been on the run was arrested in Mombasa last week after he fled his rural home in Rabuor after villagers retrieved bodies from a shallow well behind his house.

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