A suspect in the murder of former Kabete MP George Muchai has complained of being moved into isolation in a very cold room at the Kamiti Maximum Prison.
Simon Wambugu, who is the seventh accused in the Muchai
murder trial, told a Nairobi court yesterday that he was surprised by the move to put him in a cold room.
“I am asking the court to come to my rescue. I don’t understand why they have isolated me for the last 10 years that I have been in remand, I have been put together with the other inmates,” Wambugu told Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina.
All seven suspects in the Muchai murder case, Eric Isabwa alias chairman, Raphael Kimani alias Kim Butcher, Mustapha Kimani alias Musto, Stephen Astiva alias Chokore, Jane Wanjiru alias Shiro, Margaret Njeri, and Wambugu, are facing 10 counts of robbery with violence charges.
The robberies allegedly involved six other victims.
The case came up for a mention before Onyina to confirm if all parties have put in their final submissions before a judgment is delivered.
It was during the mention that Wambugu told the court about his tribulations.
‘Have you raised the matter with the prison authorities?” Onyina asked.
Wambugu, however, said he had only raised the issue with wardens who may not have escalated the same to the authorities.
“In that room, I’m locked inside throughout, and I don’t even know whether it is morning or evening. I rarely see anyone,” he said.
Onyina directed that the prison welfare chiefs undertake to resolve the issues raised by Wambugu and ordered that the matter be mentioned on August 26 to confirm if the inmate has been assisted.
Wambugu is the only suspect out of the seven who is being held at Kamiti. Isabwa, Raphael, Mustapha and Stephen are all being held at the Industrial Area prison while Wanjiru and Njeri are at the Lang’ata Women’s Prison.
Meanwhile, the court set September 10 for all the parties in the case to highlight their final submissions before a judgment date is set.
It has been more than 10 years since Muchai, his two bodyguards, Samuel Kailikia and Samuel Mantata and his driver Stephen Wambugu were shot dead on the morning of February 7 along Kenyatta Avenue in Nairobi’s central business district.
A total of 36 witnesses testified against the accused persons in the robbery with violence case before the magistrate court while 37 suspects have testified against the same accused persons in a separate murder case in the High Court.
In the murder case, Justice Kanyi Kimondo on July 23 set September 23 for a ruling on whether the accused have a case to answer. The directions were given after the parties made their final submissions following the conclusion of the prosecution’s case.
