A Thika court has allowed police to detain three persons suspected to have killed Joel Juma, a 23-year-old Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) student on Tuesday morning, for 14 more days to complete investigations.
The three; Joseph Ndung’u, Kepha Mwaniki and Paul Mbatha will remain in police cells until May 5 when they will be arraigned in the same court to take a plea.
Appearing before Senior Resident Magistrate Oscar Wanyaga, Peter Kaibiru, the investigating officer in the case sought more days to complete investigations in the matter that has since elicited fury among students who on Wednesday marched to Juja Sub-County security offices demanding arrest and prosecution of the persons behind the heinous act.
“I have a strong conviction that the suspects before you were involved in the murder of the student and I request the court to hold them for 14 days to complete my investigations,” Kaibiru told the court.
In his ruling, the magistrate said the three will be tried in the High court should there be evidence of their involvement in the murder.
“Please don’t keep them until 5th when there is no evidence, release them and let me know but if there is evidence, take them to High Court,” the magistrate ruled.
Juma, a fourth-year Industrial Chemistry student is said to have been stabbed two times in the chest and stomach in the presence of his girlfriend by an unknown group of armed gang before the assassins fled into the darkness.
He is reported to have been out of the house in the company of his girlfriend and was allegedly on a mission to get some revision materials from his classmates a few blocks away when they were attacked.
They are said to have stolen Juma’s phone and other valuables after the incident.
