This archive report was first published on 2 September 2021.
On September 2, 2021, six police officers, Benson Mputhia, Consolata Njeri, Martin Wanyama, Nicholas Sang, Lillian Cherono, and James Mwaniki, appeared at a Milimani court, where they pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder charges.
The charges relate to the alleged murder of 22-year-old Benson Njiru Ndwiga and his 19-year-old brother Emmanuel Mutura Ndwiga on August 1, 2021, at Kianjokoma village in Embu North sub-county.
The accused officers initially refused to accept state-appointed lawyers, citing that they could afford their own representation. However, after a dramatic back-and-forth argument, they opted to be represented by lawyer Dunstan Omari's team.
Omari's team then attempted to block the charges, arguing that the Director of Public Prosecution had not followed the correct procedure. However, state prosecutor Jecinter Nyamosi opposed the application, citing that the accused had previously filed a similar application, which was dismissed.
Justice Daniel Ogembo agreed with the DPP and ordered the accused to plead to the charges, ruling that they could still challenge the charges at any point during their trial.
