Revealed: Accused slept in another girl’s hostel after the murder of Sylvia Kemunto
JO, a Multimedia University student and a witness in the murder case of Sylvia Kemunto, has told court that the accused, Erick Mutinda Philip, slept in her room on the night of Monday, March 31, 2025.
This was the night after the deceased was killed on Sunday, March 30, 2025, while she was within the school compound.
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Appearing before Kibera High Court Judge Diana Kavedza on Monday, January 26, 2026, JO told the court that Erick was her friend and they were both vying for delegate seats in their faculty.
She told the court that the accused called her that Monday and said he was just checking on her, and also informed her that he would be passing by her room later in the day.
“At around 1pm Erick called me and said he was checking on me and also said he will pass by my place later,” JO told the court.
True to his word, Erick went to JO’s room at 7 pm, and he was carrying his laptop, which he was using to watch a movie series.
The witness told the court that they later conversed on general stories and the school politics until 11 pm when they were called to record statements for making noise at the hostel.
After recording the statement, 10 minutes later the accused went back to her room and said he had returned to pick up his laptop.
However, Erick told her he was afraid to go to his room, arguing that he might be told to go record another statement, and suggested she allow him to sleep in her room, which she accepted.
Denies dating claims
JO, however, vehemently denied the two were dating, even though people assumed they were an item, adding that Erick had never asked her to be his girlfriend, but they used to flirt.
“Erick never asked me directly to be his girlfriend, but we used to flirt, and also people assumed we were dating because they used to see us walk together a lot,” JO told the court.
The court heard that the witness in her police statement stated that Erick used to try to convince her to become his girlfriend and get intimate with him, but she was not interested.
Pressed further, the witness revealed to court that was not the first time they had spent a night together.
JO told the court that she once went for a sleepover at the accused’s hostel room.
She also told the court that she was not aware that the accused was dating the deceased until she was summoned to record a statement.
