Chairman, Butcher, 5 others deny killing Muchai

Mwaniki told the court that they intend to call 41 witnesses against the suspects and Justice Lessit directed that the case be heard between November 23 and December 17/FILE

Six of the seven suspects who did not have lawyers have been assigned counsel but they will remain remanded until April 27 when their lawyers will make formal applications for their release on bond.

“If you can do it together it will be better and then we can set dates for hearing the applications for release on bond,” Justice Jessie Lessit advised them.

She therefore directed prosecuting counsel Catherine Mwaniki to ensure the defence is supplied with all the witness statements within two weeks as she had committed to do.

Mwaniki told the court that they intend to call 41 witnesses against the suspects and Justice Lessit directed that the case be heard between November 23 and December 17.

“Please note that it excludes Fridays and weekends,” she made clear.

Erick Isabwa aka Chairman, Raphael Gachii aka Butcher, Mustafa Anyonyi, Stephen Lipapo, Jane Kamau, Margaret Wachiuri and Simon Gichamba have been in custody since February having been arrested about a week after Muchai, Police Constable Samuel Kailikia, Police Constable Samuel Matanta and Stephen Wambugu were shot and killed along Kenyatta Avenue on February 7.

READ: Kabete MP Muchai, 2 bodyguards and driver shot dead

They were charged with the murders on March 13 but did not plead to the charges as they were not represented by legal counsel as is required by law.

READ: Chairman, Butcher among 7 charged over Muchai murder

They did however plead to three counts of robbery with violence and being illegally in possession of weapons before the magistrates’ court where they will return on Monday.

In that case they are accused of robbing Michael Ngatia Gituto of his beige Nissan Sunny and Gladys Waithera of her metallic grey Toyota Spacio between February 6 and 7, immediately preceding the murder of Muchai and his security detail.

In that case too they have denied the charges and face capital punishment should they be found guilty.

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.

See author's posts