A Makindu court on Thursday, October 12, sentenced a man to 50 years in jail for attempted murder of his wife.
Makindu Law Courts Principal Magistrate Benson Ireri convicted Julius Kiamba Mutua after hearing testimonies from four witnesses called by the prosecution.
According to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Mutua lured the victim to the shamba, blindfolded her and cut her twice on the neck before fleeing and leaving her for the dead.
“The victim survived the ordeal but developed mobility challenges,” the DPP said in a statement on Thursday.
Still, in the corridors of justice, a Mombasa court on Thursday allowed the prosecution to continue holding controversial preacher Paul Makenzie and his 28 co-suspects for seven more days pending determination of an application seeking to have them detained for six more months.
The leader of the Good New International Church and his followers are linked to the Shakahola starvation cult that killed more than 400 people.
The court is expected to deliver the ruling on the prosecution’s application on October 19.
Assistant DPP Jami Yamina told Senior Principal Magistrate Yusuf Shikanda that the detention would enable the police to conclude investigations into the Shakahola massacre.
While seeking to hold the suspects for 180 more days last month, the state counsel insisted that investigations remain incomplete after the lapse of an earlier court order that directed the detention of Mackenzie and his co-suspects for 47 days.
“The application, supported by an affidavit from Chief Inspector Raphael Wanjohi, reveals that DNA profiling of 429 bodies exhumed from the Shakahola forest is delicate, expensive, hard and time-consuming,” the DPP said in a statement.
“The application further discloses that pathologists require at least an additional 6 months to complete the DNA profiling process in order to conclusively establish the true identity of the exhumed bodies.”
Coast Regional Assistant Director of Probation and Aftercare Services, Nick Makuu, informed the court on Thursday that they have so far written inquiries on 26 out of 29 suspects.
