This archive report was first published on 14 July 2020.
On May 9, 2020, a horrific incident occurred at Amani Court in Umoja II Estate, where Ms Vigilance Shighi, 29, allegedly stabbed Edward Budoyi Okello, a 33-year-old aeronautical engineer at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), to death.
Ms Shighi, who has denied the charge, was given the alternative of Sh500,000 cash bail by Milimani Judge Luka Kimaru on Monday. However, she was freed on Sh1 million bond with two sureties of the same amount.
The prosecution had opposed Ms Shighi's application for bail, citing that she was a resident of a border county (Kenya-Tanzania) and was likely to flee to the neighbouring country to avoid trial.
However, Judge Kimaru ruled that there were no compelling reasons to deny Ms Shighi bail as police failed to give evidence to prove she was a flight risk.
He stated that the circumstance under which the crime was said to have occurred, in the absence of other evidence, could not form a basis for denying the accused the constitutionally guaranteed right to be released on bail pending trial.
Justice Kimaru also emphasized that the courts are under a constitutional imperative to lean towards granting accused persons bail, pending trial, unless it is established that the trial would be frustrated by the accused's prior conduct or failure to attend court during trial.
Ms Shighi was compelled to provide the names of two close relatives who will ensure she goes to court for the trial.
