This archive report was first published on 18 July 2020.
On July 16, 2020, Omar Lali's murder trial began in the High Court in Garsen, but it took a dramatic turn when the prosecution decided to withdraw the murder charge and instead pursue an inquest into the death of his lover, Tecra Muigai.
Just two days earlier, a court in Lamu had ruled that Omar should be charged with murder after the prosecution said it had fresh and compelling evidence. However, on the day of the trial, prosecutor Eddie Kadebe informed the court that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) wished to go in a different direction.
According to Kadebe, the DPP had determined it was too early to push ahead with a murder case, and instead, the prosecution would withdraw the charge and take the direction of an inquest. This decision was met with tears of joy from Omar, who had been accused of murdering his lover.
On April 23, Tecra Muigai fell to her death in the house she shared with Omar, sparking claims of foul play from some of her family members. Omar had undergone a psychiatric evaluation and spent two nights at the Malindi GK Prison before being released on bail.
As the trial unfolded, Omar's lawyer, Aboubakar Yusuf, vowed to prove that his client was innocent. The prosecution, however, claimed it had an airtight case, citing toxicological evidence, detailed postmortem reports, phone records, and witness statements that proved Omar was behind Tecra's murder.
But even as the prosecution was claiming it had an airtight case, the defence was yet to be served with any of these crucial documents. Omar is now a free man pending the verdict of an inquest into what happened on that fateful night.
