Nurses Mary Muthoni, Rosemary Nkonge, Godfrey Murithi and subordinate staff Priscilla Wairimu before High Court criminal division at Milimani law couerts on Monday November 14,2016.
BY SAM ALFAN.
Three nurses and a support staff member linked to the mysterious death of a cancer patient at KNH have been released on Sh300, 000 cash bail each.
Justice Jessy Lesit released the four accused, Geoffrey Mureithi, Priscilla Wairimu, Rosemary Nkonge and Mary Muthoni on tough conditions.
They were ordered to report to the Kilimani Police State once every two weeks and not to contacts or interfere with prosecution witnesses.
The learned Judge also ordered them to deposit in court a bond 500,000 and same surety to secure their trial pending the hearing and conclusion of the murder trial.
They were further ordered not to visit their place of work without court permission.
Justice Lesit told them if prosecution brings any application of interfering with witness or breach of the conditions imposed by the court, their bond will be cancelled.
The workers denied the charges on October 1.
Geoffrey Mureithi has been in Kamiti maximum prison while Priscilla Wairimu, Rosemary Nkonge and Mary Muthoni werein Langata prison.
DPP Keriako Tobiko had earlier opposed the suspects’ release on bail saying they were likely to abscond and interfere with witnesses.
He noted, through assistant DPP Catherine Mwaniki and Duncan Ondimu, that their chances of interacting with colleagues and patients were high as they were hospital workers.
Mwaniki and Ondimu also urged Lessit to consider the nature of the offence, which attracts the death penalty, and the strength of the prosecution’s case.
Cosmas Mutunga, who was admitted on November 8, 2015, was found with several stab wounds and his eye gouged out on November 28 that year. The 42-year-old cancer patient’s right leg was also broken between the knee and the ankle.
When the suspects were arrested, hundreds of their colleagues boycotted work and held demonstrations outside Milimani law courts.
They also threatened to hold nationwide protests to seek their unconditional release.
Ondimu said: “If the court is inclined to give bail we pray that it does impose stringent bail terms considering seriousness of the offence committed. They must also be ordered not to contact witnesses, the family of the deceased and not visit the scene at the KNG without express authority of this court.”
But the accused, through their lawyer Cliff Ombeta, said they had a right to be released on bail pending trial.
Ombeta added that the state had not given compelling reasons warranting the denial of bail.
“When they make such an allegation they must be able to prove it. There is nothing in this court to show the accused persons have in any way tried to abscond or interfere with witnesses,” he said.
Hearing to proceed.
