Ivy Wangechi's killer released from hospital ahead of court date

What you need to know:

  • Mr Kinuthia attacked Ms Wangechi just outside the hospital, where she worked, using a brand new axe and a knife he reportedly had sharpened, in a case of unrequited love.
  • Moi hospital Chief Executive Officer Wilson Aruasa confirmed that the man was discharged on Friday evening.
  • Police said they would hold Mr Kinuthia at an undisclosed location and interrogate him over the weekend, and then take him to court on Monday.

Naftali Njami Kinuthia, the man who brutally killed medical student Ivy Wangechi in broad daylight on Tuesday, has been discharged from Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County.

Mr Kinuthia attacked Ms Wangechi just outside the hospital, where she worked, using a brand new axe and a knife he reportedly had sharpened, in a case of unrequited love.

Moi hospital Chief Executive Officer Wilson Aruasa confirmed that the man was discharged on Friday evening.

Police said they would hold Mr Kinuthia at an undisclosed location and interrogate him over the weekend, and then take him to court on Monday.

Eldoret East DCI chief Ali Kingi told the Nation that they were making arrangements on where to detain him.

STATEMENTS

Detectives on Friday began recording statements from the people who worked with Ms Wangechi.

Eldoret East divisional police commander (OCPD) Lucy Kananu said, "Once he (Mr Kinuthia) records a statement, it will become clearer what charges he will face in court."

On Wednesday, however, the DCI chief said Mr Kinuthia, Ms Wangechi's former schoolmate, would be arraigned on murder charges.

Mr Kingi said he admitted to committing the crime, explaining that it was because of rejection.

EVIDENCE

Officers are already in possession o two murder weapons — an axe and a knife — which they said were key to the case.

Police also found some tablets in Mr Kinuthia's car, which is parked at Naiberi Police Station, and took them for tests to establish what kind they were.

They will find out whether he took the tablets before the attack or because of a pre-existing condition.

“The drugs have been sent to the Government Chemist. We are still waiting for the results. He could be suffering from a disease [we don't know about],” said Ms Kananu.

She added, "He is under close watch by our officers. He will be taken to court without delay."

Police will also seek the accounts of members of the public who witnessed the murder.

ACCOMPLICES

Mr Kinuthia was seriously beaten by a mob following the attack that took place after he scared away people who could have saved the 6th year medical student.

He sustained head injuries and underwent surgical operations on the evening of the murder.

On Wednesday, Mr Kinuthia spoke to detectives at the hospital’s High Dependency Unit about the motive for his ruthless attack.

He told them he was angered by Ms Wangechi’s rejection yet he had been kind to her and sent her money.

Officers were still trying to find the place where Mr Kinuthia purchased the axe in Eldoret and to piece together his movements before the killing.

They said their findings indicated the man acted alone but that they were checking if he had accomplices.

POST MORTEM

A post mortem was conducted on Wednesday evening by Moi hospital pathologists in the presence of Ms Wangechi's parents.

Prof Lukoye Atwoli, Dean of the Moi University School of Medicine, said it was clear Ms Wangechi died from excessive bleeding occasioned by the deep cuts she suffered.

He noted, however, that the autopsy report would provide details of the cause of death. The report will be part of the evidence presented in court.

Prof Atwoli noted that no such incident had ever taken place at the university but called for tighter security.

“We cannot tell people what they should do so as not to be killed. We can instead look at ways to stop killers. Those tasked with keeping people secure should do their work,” said the dean, who witnessed the transfer of the body from Moi alongside Ms Wangechi's schoolmates.