This archive report was first published on 19 September 2019.
On March 8, 2018, Issack Kassim alias Sokoro was murdered along the Mombasa-Malindi road, according to the State.
Ngira Karisa Charo, a self-confessed killer, initially testified that he and his colleagues, Makonde Ruwa Buni and Eddlied Mandi Jilani, had committed the offence.
However, in a dramatic turn of events, Charo has now recanted his testimony, claiming that he lied because he was promised money by the DCI.
Charo told Mombasa Resident Judge Erick Ogola that he recorded the confession under duress following threats and false promises by the detectives.
“I was threatened in order to record the confession and tell lies that I shared with the court. It is not true that we killed the victim as I had earlier testified,” he said.
Charo claimed that he was promised money by the DCI in exchange for his testimony, but the detectives failed to honour their promise.
He further explained that after striking a deal with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to testify against his colleagues, he did not expect to serve an eight-year jail term.
According to Charo, he should have been acquitted following the truce by the state, but this did not happen as he was jailed.
Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecution Alloys Kemo has applied to set aside the eight-year jail terms imposed on Charo and charge him afresh with the offence of murder.
The case will be mentioned on October 2.
