DPP Seeks Withdrawal of Murder Charge Against CS Aisha Jumwa

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji has applied to withdraw the murder charge against Public Service and Gender Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa.

State Counsel Vivian Kambaga informed Mombasa High Court judge Ann Onginjo of the decision to drop the case during a virtual mention of the case on Wednesday morning.

Instead, the DPP has decided to make CS Jumwa a State witness and she is expected to make an in-person appearance in court on December 21st, when the prosecution will give the court a letter outlining his decision to dismiss the charge.

Jumwa was accused of killing ODM supporter Jola Ngumbao in 2019, along with her bodyguard Geoffrey Otieno Okuto.

Jola, 48, was shot dead during the Ganda Ward by-election in October 2019 after Jumwa and her supporters stormed a meeting organized by Reuben Katana, the ODM candidate in the by-election.

Jumwa, who arrived at the meeting in a convoy of several vehicles, accused Katana of conducting campaigns long after the official campaign window elapsed. 

The move to withdraw the case against Jumwa comes after her lawyer Danstan Omari wrote to the DPP to have the case reviewed, arguing that evidence presented by prosecution did not show she was involved in the shooting. Omari said his client has never owned a gun, nor was there an indication that she had a gun on the day Jola was shot.

In October, the DPP dropped charges against Jumwa in a case where she was accused of misappropriation of Sh19 million allocated for the Malindi Constituency Development Fund.