Two suspects linked to the murder of Machakos Catholic priest Michael Kyengo will spend four more nights in police custody before taking a plea in Embu.
Presiding magistrate Paul Mayova, directed Kavivya Mwangangi and Michael Mutunga to appear before the Embu High Court on Monday.
The court allowed further detention of the suspects on request from investigating officer for time to complete investigations in Embu county where the murder took place.
“We seek one more day to allow the investigating officer travel to Embu to complete investigations and also consult with the Embu DCI officers before charging the two suspects,” the prosecution said.
Before the extension of the detention, Mutunga had already been detained for 10 days while Mwangangi had spent eight days in police custody.
On October 25, Mwangangi, a cook in a Mbeere restaurant known as Kwa Kanyiri, sought to confess in an open court on how they conspired to murder the cleric.
He was cut short by presiding magistrate Hellen Okwani who directed that he confesses at the police station in the presence of his family and a chief inspector.
Mwangangi told a packed courtroom he was picked up on the night the priest was killed and ordered to enter a vehicle. The priest had been abducted and stuffed in the vehicle's boot.
"His hands were tied and at some point, I was asked to tie his feet and hands with ropes. He faced down and my colleague stamped on his neck," he said.
Mwangangi added that at some point, Mutava with whom they were the car asked the priest to give his bank account number and state his M-Pesa balance.
He alleged that Mutava transferred cash from the priest's bank account to an unknown account.
Father Kyengo disappeared from his parents’ Tala home on October 5 and his mutilated body was found stashed in a sack on October 16 on a riverbed in Mbeere South, Embu.
Despite the recovery of the priest's body and an autopsy carried out, the next of kin was unable to identify it, prompting a DNA test.
The priest's disappearance was reported to the KBC police station on October 7.
Elders said he was a humble, selfless man devoted to the church.
