Policewoman in Willie Kimani case handed over key to fellow officer, court told

Sylvia Wanjohi in a Nairobi Court on July 18,2016. PHOTO | PAUL WAWERU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The High Court heard that Sylvia Wanjohi, who was manning the Syokimau Administration Police Camp cells on June 23, 2016, handed the key to fellow officer Alfred Muthiani Makau at 7pm then left.

  • Police officers Fredrick Leliman, Leonard Mwangi, Maina Wanjohi and Stephen Morogo and police informer Peter Kamau are accused of killing the lawyer, his client Josephat Mwenda and their taxi driver Joseph Muiruri.

A policewoman accused of killing human rights lawyer Willie Kimani handed over the key to the cells where he was being detained to a fellow officer before she left the station, a court was told on Wednesday.

The High Court heard that Sylvia Wanjohi, who was manning the Syokimau Administration Police Camp cells on June 23, 2016, handed the key to fellow officer Alfred Makau at 7pm then left.

Police officers Fredrick Leliman, Leonard Mwangi, Maina Wanjohi and Stephen Morogo and police informer Peter Kamau are accused of killing the lawyer, his client Josephat Mwenda and their taxi driver Joseph Muiruri.

Their badly mutilated bodies were found in Ol Donyo Sabuk.

Mr Makau said he did not know when Ms Wanjohi returned to the station.

“It must have been before 11 pm since the station received some visitors, including Flying Squad officers, who wanted to know if the three men were being detained there,” Mr Makau said.

Led in his evidence by State Prosecutor Nicholas Mutuku and cross-examined by defence lawyer Cliff Ombeta, the officer was asked if the occurrence book had any entries on the detainees, to which he replied in the negative.

However, he said that the entry in the occurrence book was the state of the weather.

“Can you read what the entry on the weather says?” Mr Ombeta asked him.

“The entry indicates that the weather was cold and chilly throughout the night of June 23, 2016,” he said, adding that he was not a meteorologist but a career police officer.

The five have denied murdering the trio on the night of June 23. The hearing continues on Thursday.