BY SAM ALFAN.
The trial of four police officers and an informer over the murder of rights lawyer Willy Kimani, his client Joseph at Mwenda and Mr Joseph Muiruri, taxi driver came to a close On Thursday after the court heard testimony from 80 witnesses.
The fate of the five- police officers, Fredrick Leliman, Stephen Cheburet, Sylvia Wanjiku and Leonard Maina Mwangi and Peter Ngugi- an alleged police informer now lies with Justice Jessie Lesiit.
After conclusion of submissions from the defence and prosecution teams, the judge said she has to go through 6,114 pages of writings, 117 exhibits and testimonies from 46 prosecution witnesses and 34 defense witnesses.
But as the Judge made the remarks, Ngugi asked the court to declare the case a mistrial on grounds that she has no jurisdiction to hear the case. Justice Lesiit has since been promoted to the Court of Appeal but Chief Justice Martha Koome allowed her to conclude the case.
The prosecution, however, argued that the decision to allow Lesiit to continue hearing the case was given by the CJ and similar directions have been given to other judges before.
During the trial, Ngugi gave detailed narration of how the three were picked up after leaving Mavoko law courts and later tortured to death at night. Their bodies were thrown into a river, near Donyo Sabuk.
In an earlier confession, which was adopted by the court, Ngugi said he was induced with promises of a monthly fee of Sh30,000 plus other benefits if he cooperated with the police.
Kimani, a lawyer with International Justice Mission (IJM) was kidnapped together with Mwenda and Muiruri after leaving the Mavoko law courts on June 23, 2016.
They were later tortured to death in an open field in Mlolongo and their bodies stashed in gunny bags and thrown into the river.
