Court grants police 15 days to detain suspect who allegedly killed ex-wife at Uhuru market
The deceased, Felister Kalekye Katua, was stabbed four times with a kitchen knife at her workplace, where she sewed school uniforms.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has secured a 15-day detention order for Augustine Neto Amwayi, the prime suspect in last Thursday's fatal stabbing of his ex-wife at Uhuru Market in Nairobi.
Senior Principal Magistrate Joseph Karanja granted the order, reduced from the requested 21 days, following an application by Detective Constable Neville Mwambili of Buruburu Police Station.
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The deceased, Felister Kalekye Katua, was stabbed four times with a kitchen knife at her workplace, where she sewed school uniforms.
"The victim succumbed to injuries inflicted by the respondent (Amwayi)," Mwambili said in his affidavit.
Market traders assisted officers from Jogoo Road Police Station in identifying and apprehending the suspect at the scene where Katua's body was discovered with visible stab wounds.
Mwambili said he's investigating a case of murder contrary to section 203 as read with section 204 of the Penal Code.
The detective told the court that part of the investigations include recording witness statements, escorting the suspect for mental assessment and post-mortem to determine the cause of the deceased's death.
Amwayi's trousers
Monday's proceedings were unexpectedly delayed after Amwayi claimed he had borrowed the trousers he wore, and the fellow inmate wanted them returned immediately.
Amwayi told the court that he risked walking half-naked. Additionally, the suspect claimed the trousers he wore were not gender appropriate.
But Mwabili told the court that Amwayi's trousers have been kept as an exhibit because it was found with blood stains, and investigators suspect it is Katua's blood that splashed on the trousers during the murder.
"The trousers have been submitted to the government chemist for DNA analysis to establish whether the stains match the deceased's blood," Mwambili told the court.
Magistrate Karanja rebuked investigators for failing to preserve the suspect's dignity. "The DCI should have either purchased replacement trousers or arranged for the family to provide suitable clothing."
He granted police one night to rectify the situation before continuing proceedings.
The ongoing investigation includes: recording witness statements, conducting a post-mortem examination, arranging a psychiatric evaluation for the suspect and completing forensic analysis of the bloodstained trousers.
Amwayi faces murder charges under Section 203 as read with Section 204 of Kenya's Penal Code. The suspect remains detained at Buruburu Police Station as inquiries continue.
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