Court to Deliver Verdict on Willie Kimani Murder Case

The High Court in Nairobi is set to deliver its judgement on the murder case of human rights lawyer Willie Kimani and his two associates.

The Friday, July 22 judgement will bring to an end the case which began late in 2016.

Presiding over the case is Justice Jessie Lesiit whose verdict comes after the conclusion of a five-year-and eight-month trial hearing of the heinous murder of Kimani, his client Josephat Mwenda and taxi driver Joseph Muiruri.

Justice Lessit had to analyse 117 exhibits and evidence given by 46 prosecution witnesses and 34 defence witnesses.

Crucial exhibits tabled before the judge by the prosecution include phone data records, mobile phone company’s cell sites analysis and DNA samples.

Other pieces of evidence critical in the trial include a confession statement given by the fifth accused and evidence generated from CCTV cameras from the high-tech Communication Command Centre(C3) and the motor vehicle recognition technology.  

The hearings ended in February this year after receiving final submissions from defence lawyers and the prosecution.

According to Capital News, the prosecution urged the judge to find the five accused, among them four police officers guilty after evaluating the evidence tendered by a total of 46 prosecution witnesses.

On their part, the defence led by lawyer Cliff Ombeta told the court that the matter had not been proved beyond all reasonable doubt.

The five accused are; Police officers Fredrick Leliman, Stephen Cheburet, Sylvia Wanjiku, Leonard Mwangi and informer – Peter Ngugi.

The police informer told the court that he was used by the officers charged with the brutal murder of Willie, Josephat Mwenda and Joseph Muiruri on June 23, 2016.

Kimani, Mwenda and Muiruri were abducted on June 23, 2016, shortly after leaving Mavoko Law Courts in Athi River.

Their bodies were recovered a week later in a river at Ol Donyo Sabuk.