Person of interest in murder of Multimedia University student detained for 21 days
A Kibera Magistrate Court has granted police 21 days to continue detaining Erick Mutinda Philip person of interest in the murder of Multimedia University student Sylvia Kemunto.
Senior Principal Magistrate Zainab Abdul directed Mutinda to be detained at the Capitol Hill station to enable the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to complete its investigations.
The ruling was delivered on Monday, April 7, 2025.
Issuing the directive to detain Mutinda, Senior Principal Magistrate Zainab stated that it would not be wise to release him at this stage and ordered that he be detained for the requested 21 days at the Capitol Hill station.
“At this juncture, it will not be proper to release the respondent on bond; therefore, in the interest of justice and bearing in mind that a life was lost, I find that the application is merited and the same is allowed,” ruled Senior Principal Magistrate Zainab.
Lawyer Dastan Omari, representing the family of the deceased Kemunto, told the court that they are urging the court to grant the DCI the 21 days they were requesting for so as to ensure the family gets justice.
He further stated that the case not only involves the deceased’s family but also all Kenyans, noting that all females must be protected from such incidents, which are on the rise in the country.
“This is an offence of femicide on which it has moved from an ordinary murder to an offense targeting a particular gender, an offense that might wipe out the female gender from this republic,” lawyer Omari told the court.
Not a flight risk
However, lawyer Johnstone Daniel Jr, representing Mutinda, opposed the 21 days sought, stating that his client gave himself to the police, stating that if released on bail, he would cooperate throughout the investigation process.
“My client availed himself to the police; he was not arrested. He appeared on his own accord, so he is also able to present himself for the blood tests and any other procedure if needed by the IO,” Lawyer Daniel Jr. told the court.
He further argued before the court that the 19-year-old student at the Multimedia University was not a flight risk, urging the court to release him.
The court declined his request and granted the DCI the 21 days.
Autopsy not conducted
According to the investigative officer, Jairus Mutua stated the deceased’s autopsy has not yet been conducted, and they need to hold the suspect to complete all the investigations.
Through a miscellaneous application, the investigative officer also states that the person of interest, who is also a student at the Multimedia University, needs to be taken for a mental assessment.
“The psychiatric examination is yet to be conducted on the respondent ( Erick Mutinda Philip) before being arraigned at the High Court if found culpable,” read part of the miscellaneous application.
IO Mutua further stated that they have not yet obtained DNA samples from Mutinda for the purposes of comparison with the exhibits so far recovered.
Additionally, the IO informed the court that the person of interest might interfere with the ongoing investigations if released on bail, since they are in the process of interviewing witnesses who are also students from the Multimedia University, where Mutinda and the deceased were students.
Notably, the investigative officer observed that the 19-year-old’s life might be in danger in case he was to be released on bail, citing that the matter has evoked immense public interest amidst heightened femicide cases in the country.
The case will be mentioned on April 28, 2025, for further directions.
