'Handling murder cases requires God’s grace,' Judge tells courtroom in emotion-filled trial

Addressing the courtroom, Judge Diana Kavedza observed that judicial officers are frequently exposed to death and graphic evidence, likening their work to that of pathologists who confront such realities daily.

“We see photos, we confront death every day,” Lady Justice Kavedza said, adding that maintaining composure in such circumstances is essential for the administration of justice. "Handling murder cases requires God’s grace."

The judge stressed that despite the emotional weight of murder trials, the courtroom must remain controlled and orderly.

“The court must contain the emotions,” the judge said, before directing that the hearing proceed.

She said this during the hearing of the murder case of a Multimedia University (MMU) student, Sylvia Kemunto, whose body was found inside a rooftop water tank at one of the university's hostels in April 2025. 

During the trial, Kemunto's mother Triza Kwamboka struggled to hold back tears, pausing repeatedly to breathe and sip water as she recounted the final days before Kemunto went missing. 

In her emotional testimony, Kwamboka told the court that she became alarmed when she failed to reach her daughter days after sending her upkeep money.

The suspect, Philip Eric Mutinda, an electrical engineering student at the same institution, was accused of killing her in her room before moving her body in a suitcase and dumping it in the tank.

Mutinda, who had gone into hiding, later surrendered to the police in Makueni County.