A Kirinyaga man accused of hacking his wife and children to death will take a plea in January.
He will spend the festive season at Kerugoya prison.
Paul Murage is accused of killing his wife Millicent Muthoni, 38, and four children aged between one and 13 with an axe in Kathata village, Kirinyaga East subcounty, on November 29.
He is suspected of defiling his eldest daughter before killing her.
Murage was presented before the High Court in Kerugoya on Wednesday but did not take a plea for lack of a lawyer.
Justice Richard Mwongo directed the state to find him a lawyer before January 24.
He said in a case where a person is facing a serious accusation but cannot afford a lawyer, the state has an obligation to provide one so justice prevails.
State prosecutor Vincent Mamba informed the court that the accused had already undergone mental assessment and was found fit to stand trial.
His report came two weeks after a Gichugu court granted the office of the DCI two weeks to carry out a comprehensive investigation.
Investigating officer Lazarus Kiprop told the Star on the phone that most of the investigation was completed and the report submitted to the office of the DPP.
He said postmortem showed the victims suffered excessive bleeding due to an attack by a lethal weapon.
"We have completed much of the task though we are still waiting for the finalisation of the tests to be carried out on some of the samples that we submitted to the government laboratory," Kiprop said.
Murage appeared composed on Wednesday, a huge contrast to his first appearance when he shivered throughout the proceedings.
The session was held virtually.
Meanwhile, Muthoni and her four children will be buried on Friday in Karwagi village, Mwea, in Kirinyaga after the family changed the burial site.
The bodies were initially to be buried in the land Muthoni's late mother inherited from her father in Samson Corner village, Mwea, but two maternal uncles sued to stop the burial.
A Wang'uru court on Wednesday adjourned the case to January 17.
Speaking to the Star, Muthoni’s brother Patrick Ireri said one of his cousins donated part of his land for the burial so they would not incur more expenses.
He said they will however continue to pursue the case as the land in question is their late mother's inheritance from her parents.
Edited by Josephine M. Mayuya
