Maxine Wahome leaves prison after paying bond

Maxine Muringo Wahome (right) is driven from Lang'ata Women Prison by her mother Beverly

Maxine Muringo Wahome (right) is driven from Lang'ata Women Prison by her mother Beverly after paying a bond of Sh2 million on March 31, 2023. Maxine has been charged with the murder of her boyfriend Assad Khan on December 12, 2022.

Photo credit: Richard Munguti | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • Her mother was accompanied by lawyer Steve Kimathi when they went to serve the release order to the commandant of the prison
  • The release order was signed and sealed by a deputy registrar of the High Court's Criminal Division after Ms Wahome deposited security of Sh2 million
  • On Thursday, Justice  Lilian Mutende freed her on a bond of Sh2 million with one surety of a similar amount

Rally driver Maxine Wahome, who has been detained for the past 25 days over the death of her boyfriend Assad Khan, left Lang’ata women's prison on Friday 2.40pm after paying a bond of Sh2 million.

Upon release, Ms Wahome was received by her mother, Beverly Wahome. 

The mother was accompanied by lawyer Steve Kimathi when they went to serve the release order to the commandant of the prison.

The release order was signed and sealed by a deputy registrar of the High Court criminal division after Ms Wahome deposited security of Sh2 million.

Mother and daughter held each other's hands and prayed before getting into a waiting car. They drove off to their city residence where Senior Counsel Philip Murgor, teaming up with Mr Kimathi and Mr Andrew Musangi said she will be staying pending determination of the murder case.

On Thursday, Justice Lilian Mutende freed her on a bond of Sh2 million with one surety of a similar amount.

Ms Wahome denied murdering Khan on December 12, 2022.

While releasing her, the judge said: “This court takes judicial notice that bail is a constitutional right to any accused person unless compelling reasons are advanced to show that the suspect is a threat to justice.” 

She directed Ms Wahome to deposit her passport in court and keep away from witnesses.

Further, the judge warned her that “the court will not hesitate to cancel her bond should she interfere with witnesses”.

After she was granted the Sh2 million bond, Mr Murgor urged Justice Mutende to consider granting her an alternative cash bail, but the judge declined.

Besides depositing a surety bond, Justice Mutende directed the accused to deposit her passport in court and then ordered her not to travel without the court's permission.

Ms Wahome was arrested on December 12 , 2022 and produced in court the next day.

She was freed on a cash bail of Sh100,000 as police investigated the death of Khan until March 7, this year when her bond was cancelled and she was then remanded at Lang'ata women's prison.

The case will be mentioned on April 19 for a hearing date to be fixed.

Ms Wahome has maintained that she did not kill Khan, claiming he was the author of the injuries that led to his hospitalisation before he died.

Three pathologists who performed the post-mortem on Khan said the cause of death was septicaemia, a bacterial infection.