60 days:Time judge needs to write judgment on lawyer Willie Kimani’s murder case

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From (R-L)) Fredrick Leliman, Stephen Chebulet, Silvia Wanjiku, Leonard Mwangi and informant Peter Ngugi in court at at past date. Photo/Courtesy

With the conclusion of the murder trial against four police officers and a police informant charged with the murder of lawyer Willie Kimani, his client and a taxi driver, their fate is now in the hands of the judge.

Justice Jesse Lesiit said that she will deliver the judgment in sixty days because she has over 6000 pages of documents to look at, exhibits and witness testimonials.

“I have 6114 pages to look at, 117 exhibits and testimonials from 46 prosecution witnesses and 34 defense witnesses,” ruled Lady Justice Lesiit.

The officers, Fredrick Leliman, Leonard Mwangi, Silvia Wanjiku, Stephen Chebulet, and informant Peter Ngugi are accused of killing Kimani, his client Josphat Mwenda and a taxi driver Joseph Muiruri on 23rd June 2016.

In September 2021, the judge found that the five had a case to answer and placed them on their defense.

It is alleged that prior to his death, Kimani had filed a complaint against a senior policeman accused of shooting his client, a boda boda rider and was last seen at Syokimau police station.

Ngugi had confessed to the killing and narrated how the three were killed in cold blood but his confession was disallowed by court on grounds that proper procedure was not followed.

Ngugi also wants Justice Lesiit to recuse herself from the case on grounds that she is now a judge of the Court of Appeal therefore, has no jurisdiction to hear the matter.

The prosecution submitted the decision to allow Justice Lesiit to continue with the case given by the Chief Justice and not just her alone but also other judges too.