Slain Machakos priest case adjourned for later mention

An Embu court has extended the date of sentencing for the accused murderer of Machakos priest Michael Maingi.

Michael Mutunga's lawyer applied a mitigation factor saying the priest infected his client with HIV after raping him.

During the court hearing on Thursday, the defendant's lawyer Gwantai Kirimi pleaded with the court to exercise mercy during sentencing.

“My client conducted the crime out of anger and grief,” he said.

Kirimi explained to court the turn of events which led his client Michael Mutunga to take the priest's life.

He said the priest had developed the habit of grooming Mutunga and paying his school fee.

On September 2019, Kirimi said the priest started frequenting the accused place and they would share meals.

One day after they had finished taking their evening meal, Mutunga proceeded to take a shower. Upon his return from the bathroom, he found the priest had prepared two glasses of juice.

The accused through his lawyer said he felt dizzy after drinking the juice and fell asleep.

He said his client would regain consciousness at 3.30am feeling pain and discharge at his back.

He found the priest lying beside him smiling and that’s when he noticed he had been sodomised.

He said the priest told him he did that because he found Mutunga incapable of repaying his favours.

The priest then consoled Mutunga and left for work.

“If I’ve hurt you I am so sorry. Take the money I’ve left on the table and buy some medicine we’ll engage later,” he said.

On returning from work later that day, the priest started caressing Mutunga who retaliated.

The priest then showed him HIV/AIDS pills to signal him he was on HIV pills and had infected him with the virus.

The accused fell down in panic and grief, he then grabbed a knife and stabbed the priest to death.   

Michael Muthini Mutunga is believed to have murdered and buried priest Michael Maingi in a shallow grave at seasonal river mashamba in Makima, Mbeere South.

The priest disappeared from his parents’ Tala home on October 5, his body was recovered on October 16.

Embu law court through Justice Lucy Njuguna adjourned the case mention to November 8.

(Edited by Bilha Makokha)