Lawyer Raises Concerns Over Safety of John Matara in Police Custody

According to the lawyer representing murder suspect John Matara, who is currently held in custody for the killing of socialite Starlet Wahu in an apartment in Nairobi's South B, his client's life is at risk.

During his statement on Friday, Mr Samuel Ayora reported that an unknown person physically assaulted Mr Matara at the Makadara Law Courts, while he was being escorted to the courtroom. Mr Ayora opposed the court's decision to extend his client's detention for an additional week, as requested by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), to complete the ongoing investigations. The lawyer argued that Mr Matara's safety is compromised even under police custody. Mr Ayora revealed that two individuals attempted to forcefully extract Mr Matara from the police cells during his time at the Industrial Area Police Station.

Principal Magistrate Monica Kivuti of the Makadara Law Courts granted permission to detain the suspect on Friday. Sergeant Alex Chokera, the investigator, informed the court that he had already submitted the case file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) upon concluding the investigation. However, the ODPP discovered some additional elements that needed further examination. Since the suspect had been in custody for three weeks, Sergeant Chokera requested an extension of the detention orders to enable the investigation of these additional aspects before pressing charges.

The ODPP composed a two-page letter that detailed their discoveries from the inquiry and emphasized the deficiencies in the investigation that required attention to bolster the evidence against the suspect. According to the lawyer, Matara was questioned by the police on only two occasions during his 21-day detainment, leaving 19 days without any advancement. Mr Ayora contended that the initial 21-day duration was ample for the DCI to complete their investigation into the homicide. He further noted that the DCI and the ODPP had not revealed the specific aspects of the unfinished investigation.

However, the court directed Mr Ayora to immediately report the attack on his client and any other complaints to the authorities for a thorough investigation. Currently, the DCI is actively examining a murder case, as outlined in Section 203 and Section 204 of the Penal Code. However, if the investigation discovers proof that Matara also stole Wahu's belongings during the attack, the DCI may propose an additional charge of armed robbery.

The woman had arrived at the apartment with Mr Matara. The next day, Mr. Matara was apprehended at Mbagathi Hospital where he had gone to receive medical attention for a wound. It is suspected that he had been injured during a fight with Starlet who died at the South B apartment.