Court hears roommate saw accused struggle with suitcase after Sylvia Kemunto’s death
By Zipporah Ngwatu, January 26, 2026After Erick Mutinda Philip killed Sylvia Kemunto and stashed her body in a greenish suitcase, the court heard that he was seen struggling to carry it to his room.
PM, Mutinda’s roommate, told the court that when he went to their room on Sunday, March 30, 2025, at around 4:20 pm, he found the accused lying on his bed with another person.
However, he told the court that he noticed Mutinda was trying to hide the feet of the person lying next to him.
Later, PM tried to sit on the edge of the bed, and when he placed his hand there and realised someone was lying on it, he left the room.
While he was out, Eric called him, asking where he was, and he replied that he was not around.
“Eric called me asking if I was around, and I told him no. I asked him what he wanted, and he said nothing; he just wanted to know,” PM told the court.
The witness told the court that he later returned to their room at 10 pm and found Eric sleeping, with his head resting on the suitcase, which he was using as a pillow.
However, PM stated that Mutinda appeared uncomfortable and seemed to struggle while sleeping on the suitcase.
He later saw him struggle to lift the suitcase from the bed and place it beside his bed, after which he lay down facing it.
PM said he later fell asleep and woke up at around 7:30 am. When he woke up, Eric was not in the room, but their other roommate was present.
Eric returned about 30 minutes later and informed them that Sylvia was missing and that her mother suspected he knew her whereabouts, adding that he had no idea where she was.
“At around 8 am, Eric came back to the room and told us that his girlfriend, Sylvia, was missing and that her mother thought he was responsible, but he said he did not know anything about it,” PM told the court.
Notably, the witness revealed to the court that the accused did not sleep in their room on Monday, March 31, 2025.
He returned on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, slept, woke up at around 10 am, and began washing his clothes. It was at that time that officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) arrived at the university to conduct investigations.