Prosecution of ex-footballer Collins Okoth in murder case delayed due to mental assessment hold-up

The prosecution of celebrated footballer Collins Okoth, charged with the murder of a three-year-old girl in Lucky Summer estate, Starehe, Nairobi, has been delayed due to a pending mental assessment.

Both Okoth and his accomplice, Sylvia Aoko, remain in custody awaiting the completion of the required psychiatric evaluation before they can be formally charged. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) informed Justice Alexander Muteti that, although the psychiatric tests have been conducted, the results were not presented in court. Both suspects appeared in court, but the absence of the reports postponed the proceedings.

Okoth is currently detained at the Nairobi Area Remand and Allocation Prison in Industrial Area, while Aoko is held at Lang'ata Women's Prison. Justice Muteti has ordered that the suspects be brought back to court on September 11, 2024, with their mental status reports for formal charging, at which time they are expected to enter pleas.

Okoth has been in custody since his arrest on April 22, after the minor was found dead outside her mother’s house. Okoth, who was the neighbor of the victim's mother, was arrested following suspicions raised by his behavior during the investigation. Aoko, who lived with the child’s mother, was later apprehended after investigations allegedly linked her to the crime.

The incident was first reported to the police by Lucky Summer assistant chief Peris Muthoni, who notified them of the suspected murder after the child’s body was discovered. When the police arrived at the scene, they found the child half-naked, with bruises on her neck, indicating possible sexual assault. Authorities believe the child was killed elsewhere and her body dumped at the scene.

According to the police, the child’s mother had left the house at 1 a.m. on Sunday, April 21, and returned at 4 a.m. to find both her child and a friend missing. Police Constable Gilbert Kiprotich of the Starehe DCI offices reported that Okoth, who lives on the first floor of the same building, became visibly uneasy after a weapon, believed to have been used to break into the mother's house, was recovered. Investigators suspect the footballer threw the object out of his window.

On April 23, 2024, Okoth was officially booked at Pangani Police Station and has since been held in custody, awaiting formal charges and a bail hearing.