Police corporal denies killing Chuka boda boda association boss
Mr George Murithi, a police officer accused of shooting to death Tharaka Nithi County Boda boda Operators' Chairman Willis Mugambi alias Kiraku before Chuka High Couty on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. He denied the charge.
Policeman corporal George Murithi has denied killing the chairman of the Tharaka Nithi County boda boda operators association Willis Mugambi.
Chuka High Court Judge, Lucy Gitari, heard that Mr Murithi, an officer at the Chuka Police Station, shot dead Mugambi alias Kiraku on April 8, 2023, in Chuka town, Kiangondu location in Tharaka Nithi County.
The judge entered a plea of not guilty and stated that the matter will be mentioned on June 21, 2023, when she will give directions on the start of the hearings.
“I have entered a plea of not guilty and the matter will be mentioned on June 21 when the court will give directions on the hearing,” said Judge Gitari.
Both the accused and the deceased family will be represented by private lawyers in the case.
Mr Murithi was arrested on May 10 and produced before Chuka Law Court Resident Magistrate Oscar Kinyua the following day when police sought three days to conclude investigations.
The court also ordered that Mr Murithi be taken to Chuka County Referral Hospital for a mental assessment to determine whether he was fit to stand murder charges.
On May 16, the accused was arraigned before Magistrate Herbert Mwendwa in the same court and the mental assessment report was tabled.
Shot dead
The charges were read again without the accused responding and the court directed that he be remanded at Chuka Police Station.
Mugambi from Kiangondu village was shot dead during demonstrations staged by residents of Nkwego village in Rubate location.
The Nkwego residents were protesting the delay by police to arrest the killers of Daniel Mutembei but the suspects were later arrested and arraigned at the Chuka High Court on April 14 and denied the murder charges.
The shooting of Mugambi sparked demonstrations by boda boda operators in the county which lasted three days.
The demonstrators who barricaded the Meru-Nairobi highway for three days caught the attention of Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki who deployed Internal Affairs Unit and Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers from Nairobi to investigate the matter.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) officers are also investigating the matter.
