Mary Wambui murder: Bond hearing delayed

What you need to know:

  • Ms Judy Wangui, the mistress of Ms Mary Kamangara’s husband, Mr Joseph Kori, and car-hire operator Michael Githae Monday denied killing Ms Kamangara and dumping her body in a dam in Juja.
  • The case will be heard on October 7 and 8, with a pretrial conference scheduled for July 30.

Two suspects linked to the murder of businesswoman Mary Wambui Kamangara will wait another 14 days to know whether they will be freed on bond.

Ms Judy Wangui, the mistress of Ms Mary Kamangara’s husband, Mr Joseph Kori, and car-hire operator Michael Githae Monday denied killing Ms Kamangara and dumping her body in a dam in Juja, Kiambu County in January. The deceased was buried on Saturday in a tense funeral in Mweiga, Nyeri County.

SEVEN MINUTES

The charge sheet read that on the night of January 26/27, 2019, at Four Ways Junction Estate on the Kiambu-Nairobi road, jointly with others not before the court, they murdered Ms Kamangara, whose body was found in Juja at a dam near Courtesy Beach Resort.

Mr Githae, who owns Mipals Travel Adventures and Hire, told detectives from the Juja Police Station, where the killing was initially being investigated, that he helped Ms Wangui ferry Mr Kamangara's body, but he denied participating in the murder. The two were supposed to answer to the charges on Tuesday last week, but Ms Wangui’s lawyer, Mr Cliff Ombeta, requested that the matter be delayed.

Ms Wangui, dressed in a light-blue pair of trousers and a white hoodie emblazoned with “Who do you want near to you when all your dreams come true?” that she occasionally used to hide her face, and Mr Githae were taken to the dock a few minutes after 11am.

The matter was concluded in just about seven minutes.

The prosecution, led by State Counsel Christine Ndombi, opposed their release on bond and asked Justice Christine Meoli to give the State time to file responses to why they want the two to remain in custody pending the hearing of the case.

DECLINED

“We have been served with a formal application for the same (opposing their release on bail) and we are requesting this honourable court to grant us more time to put in responses (as to why the two should not be freed on bond),” Ms Ndombi told the court.

Mr Sam Ogutu, representing Mr Githae, had requested the court to allow the bail application hearing to be discussed on Thursday, but Ms Meoli declined, saying the court had a tight schedule.

She directed that the bond application be heard on March 18, before the court’s deputy registrar allows prosecutors to make its submissions, including the bail report.

Meanwhile, detectives revealed that they had not decided whether Mr Kori will be a witness against his mistress and Mr Githae.

The two were arrested alongside Mr Kori, who was released after investigations exonerated him from involvement in the murder.

The case will be heard on October 7 and 8, with a pretrial conference scheduled for July 30.