MP Ong’ondo Were murder: Suspect Isaac Kuria details alleged police torture
Isaac Kuria, the man suspected of pulling the trigger in the killing of the MP, appeared virtually before Justice Kanyi Kimondo at the Milimani High Court, where he refused to plead to the charges and asked to be brought physically before the court.
A man accused of killing Kasipul MP Ong’ondo Were stunned the court with emotional claims of police torture, saying he had been abused and forced to sign documents he did not understand while in custody.
Isaac Kuria, the man suspected of pulling the trigger in the killing of the MP, appeared virtually before Justice Kanyi Kimondo at the Milimani High Court, where he refused to plead to the charges and asked to be brought physically before the court.
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“Police tortured me, and I also need to appear in court physically to tell my story,” Kuria told the judge, visibly distressed.
He pleaded to be given a chance to explain what had happened to him during his time in detention at Kamiti Prison.
Despite his plea, the judge ruled that the virtual court was still valid and entered a plea of not guilty on Kuria’s behalf. Kuria was appearing alongside Allan Ogola, the late MP’s bodyguard, who also faced murder charges.
Ogola, a police officer, denied the charge and pleaded for lenient bond terms. His lawyer, Chacha Mwita, said he had been misled into making a statement that implicated him and now wanted it withdrawn.
Mwita urged the court not to allow that statement to be part of the trial evidence.
Kuria’s lawyer, Amisi Doris, told the court she would file an application to have her client released on bond, a request strongly opposed by the prosecution.
Prosecutor Vincent Monda, representing the Director of Public Prosecutions, said the State had already filed affidavits to block their release.
Justice Kimondo asked the defence teams to make formal submissions and respond to the prosecution before the next hearing on July 14, when the court will decide on the bond and bail issues.
Kuria’s plea comes amid rising emotions surrounding the killing of the MP, whose death shocked the public and Parliament.
The brutal shooting in Nairobi on April 30 led to the arrest of twelve suspects. Five were later released after investigations failed to link them to the crime.
Five people have been charged so far. Kuria and Ogola join William Imoli alias Imo, Edwin Odhiambo alias Machuani, and Ebel Ochieng alias Dave Calo, who had earlier appeared before the Kibera High Court. Calo works as a director at the Lake Basin Development Authority in Kisumu.
The late MP’s driver, Walter Owino and another suspect, Dennis Manyasi, were freed earlier this month by a JKIA magistrate’s court after the prosecution said they would testify for the State.
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