Mental report hitch delays Ex-MCA murder plea
Mr Mzungu Shume Mwangemi alias Saidi Chote alias Huzuni (left) and Former Junju Ward MCA Onesmus Gambo Karisa before the Mombasa High Court. They were charged with the murder of three people in Kilifi count on July 7, 2021.
Former Junju ward representative Onesmus Gambo Karisa will spend another nine days in custody before he officially pleads to three murder charges.
Mr Karisa and his co-accused Mzungu Shume Mwangemi, for the second time failed to plead to the murder charges over a psychiatric report hitch.
The two, on Tuesday, appeared before Mombasa Resident Judge Eric Ogola, but could not respond to the three murder charges facing them.
State Counsel Vallerie Ongeti informed the court that a report on mental examination carried out on the suspects is yet to be produced.
“We ask that the suspects be remanded for a further one week to enable us get the report,” she said.
Initially, the suspects were scheduled to plead to the charges on August 19, but the same did not happen. It was then rescheduled for today, which again failed due to lack of clearance from a psychiatrist.
Also, it emerged that the two have not been appointed an advocate.
On August 4, the suspects were arraigned before High Court Judge Njoki Mwangi, who informed them of the charges facing them.
They were not required to respond to the charges until they get clearance from a psychiatric, and in the presence of an advocate.
The charge sheet already presented in court indicates that Mr Karisa and Mr Mwangemi murdered Mr Sidik Anwarali Sumra, Mr Rahil Mohamed Kasmani and Mr James Kafani Kazungu.
The state alleges that the two, and others still at large, committed the offences on July 7, at Junju village, Kilifi South Sub-County.
Last week, the police arrested three people in connection to the murder. The three will, however, be treated as witness.
The three suspects are alleged to have been paid to remove the bodies of the deceased from where they were killed.
Mr Karisa and Mr Mwangemi are among the 15 people who police arrested in June over the gruesome murder.
However, 13 were released after the police concluded their investigations.
Documents filed in court by the police indicate that the accused persons are suspected to have been at the scene where the three deceased persons were killed, and their vehicle set ablaze.
Mr Kazungu was a land agent and he had taken the two to Junju area to view a parcel of land, which Mr Sumra wanted to buy.
Irate residents, who had known Mr Sumra turned against him and descended on them with crude weapons on allegations the three visited the area with the aim take over their (squatters’) land.
They will be presented in court on September 2.
