Naftali Kinuthia: Suspect in Ivy Wangeci’s murder denied bail

Naftali Kinuthia, the suspect charged with the gruesome murder of Moi University medical student Ivy Wangeci, will remain in police custody longer after the court on Monday declined to grant him bail.

In his ruling, Eldoret High Court judge Stephen Githinji said the suspect is likely to interfere with witnesses and that his own safety will be at risk should he be released.

Justice Githinji noted that some of the witnesses are well known to the suspect as they were friends to the deceased.

The accused, through his lawyer Mbiu Kamau, had pleaded with the court to be grant him bail, an application that was strongly opposed by the prosecution and the victim’s family.

Kinuthia was on April 30, 2019 charged with the murder of Ivy Wangeci, who was a sixth year medical student at Moi University, Eldoret.

He denied the charges and has been in police custody since his arrest on April 9, when he allegedly hacked Wangeci with an axe outside the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in a case of unrequited love.

He was allowed to take plea after the prosecution told the court that a mental assessment conducted on him had confirmed he was fit to stand trial.

The case will be mentioned on July 7, 2019.