In courts: Trial of Multimedia University student charged with murder to begin

The murder trial of Multimedia University student Erick Mutinda is set to begin today at the Kibera High Court.

This marks the start of substantive proceedings following the death of fellow student Sylvia Kemunto.

Mutinda is accused of murdering Kemunto on March 30, 2025, within the university premises.

He formally took plea in September last year before High Court judge Diana Kavedza during a virtual session, where he was produced from Nairobi Remand Prison.

He denied the charge.

The plea-taking followed the filing of a psychiatric assessment report, which found Mutinda fit to stand trial.

Justice Kavedza noted that a report dated July 23 confirmed the accused was mentally fit to plead to the charges, clearing the way for the matter to proceed to hearing.

Mutinda has remained in custody after the court declined to review its earlier decision denying him bond.

His lawyer, Johnstone Junior, had made an oral application seeking a reconsideration of the bond ruling, but the court found no new circumstances to justify a change.

Earlier, in June, the court had rejected Mutinda’s bid for release after a pre-bail report advised against granting bond, citing concerns over his suitability.

Both the Director of Public Prosecutions and lawyers representing Kemunto’s family opposed his release, arguing that he posed a flight risk.

They urged the court to keep the accused in custody pending the hearing and determination of the case, noting that Mutinda allegedly disappeared from the university after the incident.

According to investigators, Mutinda was arrested on April 3, 2025, after surrendering himself at Sultan Hamud Police Station in Makueni County, having been on the run for four days.

Prosecutors allege that after the incident, Mutinda left the university and travelled to his rural home, and that Kemunto’s body was later found in a water tank on the rooftop of a hostel building within the institution.

The body was discovered several days after she had been reported missing.

A postmortem examination revealed that she died from strangulation and had also sustained head injuries caused by a blunt object.

The prosecution has lined up 17 witnesses, most of them students from Multimedia University.

Justice Kavedza had earlier directed that four prosecution witnesses be availed when the hearing commences.

Case challenging CS's engagement in politics

Elsewhere, the Constitutional Court will begin hearing submissions in a petition dated October 2025, challenging a section of the newly enacted Conflict of Interest Act, 2025.

In particular, the case contests section 25 of the Act, which allows Cabinet Secretaries and County Executive Committee Members to engage in political activities.

The petitioners, Law Society of Kenya Vice President Mwaura Kabata and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, argue that the provision undermines the principles of political neutrality and impartiality in public service.

They contend that allowing senior State officers to participate in political activities is unconstitutional and discriminatory, warning that it could blur the line between public administration and partisan politics.

As a result, the petitioners are seeking orders to suspend the implementation of the contested section.