Blow for State as suspect recants chilling murder testimony

A self-confessed murderer who told a Mombasa court a chilling account of the killing of a Nairobi businessman has dealt the prosecution a blow by recanting his testimony.

In April, Ngira Karisa Charo gave graphic details of the murder of businessman Issack Kassim Jiraw on the back seat of a car.

But he has now told Mombasa Resident Judge Erick Ogola that he made the confession under duress after he was threatened by detectives from Nairobi.

Ngira started serving an eight-year prison term after entering a plea bargain agreement with the State, that also saw him become a prosecution witness against his two co-accused.

But he has now told the court that his confession was all lies.

“I gave in to pressure and lied because DIC officers from Nairobi threatened me,” he claimed.

FEAR

The convict said that after he was arrested, he spent most of the time with officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Malindi and Mombasa.

He said it was during this time that the detectives threatened him into making the confession.

“While making many rounds between the two towns, I feared something bad would happen to me. That is why I agreed to their demands,” he said during cross-examination by defence lawyers Jared Magolo and Daniel Wamotsa.

The convict further said her was disappointed that he was jailed despite the plea bargain. He said he had expected the court to set him free.

"I confessed and testified in the hopes that I would not be jailed. I expected to be released. I have already been sentenced contrary to our agreement," he told justice Ogola.

CHILLING DETAILS

Ndira is charged alongside Eddlied Mandi and Makonde Ruwa Buni with the murder on March 8, 2018, along Mombasa-Malindi road.

The two have denied the charges and remain on trial, with Ngira as the prosecution's third witness.

Mr Kassim is said to have been strangled to death over a sum of Sh9 million that Ms Mandi owed him.

According to Ngira's earlier testimony, Ms Mandi hired him and Mr Buni to kill the businessman since she could not clear her debt after their business deal went sour.

He had told the court how they picked Mr Kassim for a journey to Malindi, where they claimed he would collect his Sh9 million, but killed him on the way.

Ngira said he helped in tightening the rope that they used to strangle the city trader.

“I had no option so I helped in rolling the rope and tightening it. The entire murder exercise took five minutes. The deceased stopped breathing and kicking,” he said in March.

He said they later disposed of the body in a thicket after pouring acid on it.

“We stripped him naked. We left him only with underpants. Mr Buni poured three bottles of acid on the body then we placed it inside the black polythene bag and dumped it there. We spent about three hours pouring the acid on the body and doing everything [we could] to conceal it,” he told justice Ongola then.

"COACHED"
After recanting his testimony, Ngira denied that Ms Mandi hired him to commit murder.

“I did not leave my home that day. I was coached by the DCI officers to bear false witness with the aim of framing Ms Mandi,” he claimed.

As Ngira gave his new version of the testimony, Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecution Alloys Okemo stood up, interjected and asked the court to have the witness stood down.

Mr Okemo noted the possibility that the witness may have been asked to recant his testimony.

“The witness was not remanded at Shimo La Tewa prison as we had requested. He was taken to Malindi prison where his accomplices were. This now confirms our fears,” the prosecutor said.

He added that the needed time to get to the bottom of the matter and advise him on the implications of recanting his move.

“I am surprised by the turn of events. We were on the same page when I spoke to the witness in the morning. We want to find out what happened to him in custody."

The case was adjourned to June 20.