Six convicts in ex-Juja MP George Thuo’s murder granted Sh1 million bond pending appeal
The poison in the former MP's body was identified as Cyhalothrin pesticide, which would lead to death within five to ten minutes after ingestion.
The owner of Porkies Club and five others who were sentenced to 15 years in jail for the murder of former Juja MP George Thuo have been granted a Sh1 million bond each pending their appeal.
Paul Wainaina Boiyo alias Sheki was sentenced in 2024 alongside Thuo's former aide Christopher Lumbazio Andika alias Lumba, DJs Andrew Karanja Wainaina and Samuel Kuria Ngugi alias Visi, waiter Esther Ndinda Mulinge and a patron Ruth Watahi Irungu alias Atlanta.
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The deceased died after being poisoned at Porkies Club in Thika on 17th November 2013.
Justice Roselyn Korir ruled that the 15-year sentence will run from April 19, 2024, when the six were convicted.
Being aggrieved by the sentence, the six moved to the Court of Appeal seeking to quash their sentence.
They also sought bail pending their appeal.
Justices Jamila Mohamed, Francis Tuiyot and Pauline Nyamweya noted that while there was evidence that four of the applicants shared a table with the deceased on the fateful night, there was no evidence that they laced the deceased's drink with poison.
Further, the judges found that there was no evidence that the applicants hatched a common intention, before or during the commission of the alleged crime, to kill the deceased.
"For these reasons, this Court is inclined to allow the applications as prayed. The upshot is that the applications dated are hereby allowed as prayed. Each applicant shall be released on a bond of Ksh1,000,000 with one surety of like amount", the judges ruled.
In June last year, while issuing the sentence against the six, the judge took into consideration the pre-sentencing report which outlined positive attributes regarding the convicts, with a recommendation that they be given a three-year sentence.
In addition, Justice Korir found credibility in the desire for Boiyo and Andika to reconcile with Thuo's family.
"All these were positive attributes that reduced the severity of the sentence," the judge ruled.
Justice Korir convicted the six after finding them guilty of murder based on sufficient evidence relied on by the prosecution.
The judge noted that Thuo's cause of death was hemorrhagic gastroenteritis due to poisoning as evidenced by forensics.
She added, "Forensic evidence clearly shows that Thuo consumed a poisoned drink at Porkies Club."
The poison in the former MP's body was identified as Cyhalothrin pesticide, which would lead to death within five to ten minutes after ingestion.
The judge relied on the pathologist's toxicology report and dismissed allegations by the defence that the MP's death could have resulted from other conditions such as high blood pressure and alcohol consumption.
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