Man who ‘killed’ his mother over maize to be detained longer
Brian Wafula Barasa who was arraigned before a Kitale court on Friday October 28 and charged with killing his mother, Judith Nafula Konya, 50, a lab technician at St Joseph's Girls High School in Kitale. A post-mortem report showed she died of strangulation before her body was wrapped in a duvet and dumped at Kiminini river, and police are holding her 25 year old son as the main suspect.
What you need to know:
- Suspect was arrested by detectives in Mtwapa on his way to Kilifi last Monday
- A postmortem report revealed that Ms Konya died of strangulation
- Kitale Resident Magistrate A. Kassim concurred with investigators and ordered the accused remanded at the police cells
Police in Kiminini sub-county, Trans Nzoia County, want more time to complete their investigations into the alleged murder of a 50-year-old woman by her 25-year old son a week ago.
Brian Wafula Barasa was arrested by detectives in Mtwapa on his way to Kilifi last Monday.
Mr Zaddock Wafula, an investigator with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Kiminini, requested a Kitale court on Friday to detain Mr Barasa at the Kitale Police Station for 14 days.
He also wanted Mr Barasa taken for a mental assessment and to help police apprehend other suspects in the matter.
Mr Wafula said preliminary investigations revealed that Mr Barasa strangled his mother at their home at Baraton, Bondeni village, Trans Nzoia, before wrapping her body in a duvet and dumping her in the Kiminini river.
Ms Judith Nafula Konya was a lab technician at St Joseph's Girls High School. She is said to have reprimanded her son about stealing one and half bags of maize before he allegedly turned on her.
He then allegedly proceeded to Eldoret, where he stole Sh1,500 from his cousin and escaped to the Coast region. Police in Mtwapa arrested him on his way to Kilifi.
A postmortem report revealed that Ms Konya died of strangulation.
Denied charges
Mr Barasa denied the charges. He requested the court to remand him at the Kitale GK main prison, claiming that he was harassed and threatened at the police station cells.
But Mr Wafula, the investigator, insisted that the accused be held at the police station, saying this would make it easier to coordinate his movement as investigations go on.
"There will be a lot of movement and having the accused remanded at the GK prison would [complicate our work] because we need to pick him up from time to time to assist in the ongoing investigations," he said.
Resident Magistrate A. Kassim concurred with Mr Wafula and ordered the accused remanded at the police cells.
He also ordered Mr Barasa to be escorted to Kitale County Referral Hospital for a pretrial mental assessment.
The case will be mentioned on November 14.
