This archive report was first published on 29 December 2019.
On December 29, 2019, a dramatic scene unfolded in a Malindi court when a murder suspect, Jackson Mwalimu, feigned madness and refused to take plea.
Mwalimu, accused of murdering Kabibi Kitsao, was taken for a mental examination at the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital in Mombasa after Malindi Resident Judge Reuben Nyakundi ordered the assessment.
However, when the matter came up in court, Mwalimu's behavior changed, and he denied having been taken to any hospital, claiming he had never seen a doctor and did not know the victim.
Despite the psychiatrist's report confirming that Mwalimu was of sound mind and fit to stand trial, he continued to behave erratically, throwing the court into confusion.
Prosecuting Counsel Barbara Sombo expressed her readiness to proceed with the trial, but Mwalimu's antics forced the judge to order a fresh mental assessment and adjourn the case to January 6, 2020.
