Seven students in fatal Shiners Boys stabbing case turn State witnesses

A Naivasha court has turned seven students arrested in Nakuru over the killing of a fellow KCSE candidate at Shiners Boys Secondary School in Gilgil into State witnesses.

In connection with the case, the eighth student will now be charged with manslaughter after police completed their investigations.

The court has also directed the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to conduct an age assessment on the student before formally charging him with manslaughter.

The stabbing incident occurred about two weeks ago, after a group of students allegedly attacked one of their classmates with a knife, leading to his death at Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital (PGH).

The prosecution, in a miscellaneous application, sought an order to allow further investigation into the circumstances surrounding the student's death before deciding who should be formally charged.

Meanwhile, the students were being held in police custody while they completed their exams, awaiting the outcome of the case.

In an online court proceeding, the prosecution informed the court that investigations had been completed and that the seven students would be turned into witnesses for the case.

The DPP also told the court that after reviewing the evidence, the decision was made to drop the murder charges and instead pursue a manslaughter charge against the 17-year-old suspect.

Naivasha Chief Magistrate Nathan Lutta directed the DPP to carry out an age assessment on the minor before proceeding with the manslaughter charge and also ordered that the minor be held at Gilgil Police Station until December 2, when he will be formally charged in court.