Man charged with schoolgirl’s murder shocks court, seeks plea deal

Murder suspect Lewis Kazungu Charo at the High Court in Mombasa. (Photo: Farhiya Hussein)

By Farhiya Hussein
Thursday, November 27, 2025

The victim’s family lawyer, Duncan Osoro, told the judge that Farida’s relatives must be consulted before any arrangement is considered.

A wave of emotion swept through the High Court in Mombasa on Wednesday after a 22-year-old palm wine tapper accused of murdering a schoolgirl abruptly asked to negotiate a plea deal, an unexpected move that momentarily paused a trial already weighed down by painful testimony.

The accused, Lewis Kazungu Charo, is charged with killing 17-year-old Farida Changawa Julius on the night of June 6, 2025, at Mferejini Village in Kijipwa, Kilifi South.

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What had begun as a routine continuation of witness testimony quickly shifted into a moment that left both the courtroom and the victim’s family in disbelief.

For Farida’s relatives, the day had already been heavy.

The court listened as her grandfather, Tinga Mwachiro Kiti, recounted the heartbreaking moment he identified his granddaughter’s body at the Kilifi Sub-County Hospital.

Kiti described how, accompanied by Farida’s aunt, Susan Tabuu, he viewed the post-mortem on 12 June, relying on the girl’s facial features to confirm her identity.

He told the court he had been away from home on the night Farida died and returned the next morning to a village plunged into mourning. His testimony brought a sombre stillness to the room, underlining the human loss at the centre of the case.

Earlier, three prosecution witnesses had helped piece together the hours leading to Farida’s death.

The court heard that the knife allegedly used to kill the teenager was the same one Charo used daily to harvest mnazi (palm wine) from coconut trees at the family’s homestead, where he had worked for six months.

Witnesses also disclosed that Farida and Charo had been in a romantic relationship, a revelation that deepened the emotional weight of the trial and cast new questions over the accused’s possible motive.

However, just as prosecutors continued to build their case, the trial took an unexpected turn.

Prosecutors Ngiri Wangui and Frank Sirima informed Lady Justice Wendy Micheni that the defence had approached the State to initiate a plea bargain. In a formal letter, Charo indicated that he wished to agree to hasten the conclusion of the case.

“We believe that a plea-bargaining agreement would serve the interests of justice, spare the court and all parties a lengthy trial, and contribute positively to rehabilitation and resolution,” Charo stated in the letter.

The victim’s family lawyer, Duncan Osoro, told the judge that Farida’s relatives must be consulted before any arrangement is considered.

Justice Micheni adjourned the hearing, instructing the prosecution and the family’s legal representatives to explain the implications of a plea deal to the grieving family. She directed that consultations be completed within 14 days, stressing the need for urgency and clarity.