The family and friends of slain Moi University student Ivy Wangechi is alleging that there's a deliberate plot to delay the hearing of a case where one Naftali Kinuthia is accused of killing the sixth-year medical student in 2019.
Ivy was hacked to death in the streets of Eldoret in April 2019 and 28 - year-old Naftali stood accused of the murder.
However, on Thursday, May 27, the family of the murdered student revealed that the quest to seek justice for their daughter failed to take off sighting frustrations from the accused through his defense.
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“I’m a frustrated mother to a dead girl who did not die because of a road accident, disease, not even Covid but who died because somebody just wanted to see my daughter dead,” Winfred Waithera, the mother of the murdered student said.
The family was making its fifth attempt to have the case heard only for the matter to be adjourned when the prosecution said that the defense lawyer was nowhere to be seen.
“When we come here, someone comfortably says the lawyer is not there. Was it not known as early as yesterday that the lawyer was not available. Who helps the people in this country whose members have been killed?” Ivy’s mother posed.
According to the family lawyer, the prosecution had lined up eight witnesses only for the case to be adjourned.
“This is the third year since the incident happened and unto now the prosecution has never opened the case, not because of a mistake of their own but because of the well-calculated moves by the defense, the accused person to frustrate this cause,” the lawyer said.
Justice Steven Githinji who was presiding over the case has directed the defense team to appoint another lawyer to fast track the case. The accused, Naftali Kinuthia has been in police custody since 2020.
