BY SAM ALFAN.
The High Court in Narok has ordered an old man accused of killing his wife to undergo mental assessment before pleading to the murder charge.
Zacharia Ngetich Silatei appeared before High Court Registrar Adelaide Sisenda who directed him to undergo mental assessment to establish his suitability to stand for murder trial over the death of his wife Judith Resiato.
The court directed directed the suspect be presented in court on November 22 to confirm whether he has undergone the assessment.
Silatei is accused of murdering his wife on November 1, 2022 at Kimogoro Village in Sogoo Sub-location within Narok County.
Silatei was arraigned in court after Narok County Directorate of Criminal Investigations sleuth completed the investigation in to the alleged murder.
Silatei had attempted to block the burial of his late wife but the suit was dismissed by a Narok Magistrate.
The family of the late Resiato through city lawyer Harrison Kinyanjui had opposed Silatei’s application arguing that a magistrate court lacks jurisdiction to declare that the businessman was the lawfully entitled person to decide where his late wife should be buried and lead in formulation of the burial arrangements as sought.
“Such injunctive and mandatory interlocutory order as sought under section 1A and 1B or the nebulous and broad-based cited order 40 and order 51 of the civil procedure rules , as invoked by the plaintiff,” said lawyer Kinyanjui.
He also argued that Silatei did not give the mandatory undertaking as to damages required in similar type of case.
Silatei had attempted to block his in-laws from removing his late wife’s body for burial after allegedly being barred from the taking part in the process.
