By Loise Wambugu and Brian Okoth

Peter Mugure, the former Kenya Air Force Major who allegedly killed his wife and two children in October 26, 2019, now wants to be allowed to face the Prosecution alone, without the help of a lawyer.

Mugure told the Nyeri Law Courts on Wednesday, March 17 that he “would be okay” in the dock alone.

The suspect has thus far changed lawyers three times. His ex-legal reps include Cliff Ombeta, Kimani Njuguna and Kariuki Rono, all whom he let go of over reasons yet to be known.

Mugure was first arraigned over the murders in December 2019.

One must be legally "competent" before a judge will allow him to represent himself in a criminal trial. Defendants cannot represent themselves unless a judge determines that they are competent to do so.

Killings

A 5-hour post-mortem exercise conducted on Mugure’s spouse, Joyce Syombua, and her two children on November 20, 2019 indicated that Syombua, 31, was hit with a blunt object while her children were strangled using a rope.

Addressing the media at Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary after conducting a post-mortem on their bodies, Chief Government Pathologist Johansen Oduor said Joyce Syombua was bleeding from the brain.

He, however, said since the bodies of Syombua, Shanice Maua, 10, and Prince Michael, 5, had decomposed, it was difficult to tell when they were exactly killed.

Family members of the deceased, who included Syombua’s mother, Elizabeth Maua, were at the morgue to identify the bodies.

It took more than ten pathologists over five hours to do the post-mortem.

The three bodies were exhumed from a shallow grave at Makaburini area in Nanyuki Town on November 17, 2019 and taken to Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary.

It is alleged Mugure killed the three on October 26, 2019 after Syombua and the children visited him at his Nanyuki Barracks home.

Child support

It was established that in July 2019, Syombua won a child support case she had filed against Mugure, who was allegedly refuting claims that he sired Prince Michael and Shanice, and, therefore, he wasn’t responsible for their upkeep.

The court, K24 Digital understands, ruled in favour of Syombua after DNA test results confirmed Mugure as the two children’s biological father.

The soldier was consequently ordered to pay Ksh75, 000 per month on the children’s maintenance.

Until October 2019, Mugure had reportedly paid the money to Syombua for three months. Friends told People Daily that Mugure would often complain about the sum of money he used to part with for child support.

Mugure was arrested on November 15 in connection with the mother-and-children’s killing.

He was arraigned on November 18, 2019 when detectives successfully asked the court to hold him for 21 days as probe into the murders of Syombua and her children continued.

Mugure, who was most recently arraigned on March 17, 2021, is expected back in court on April 11, 2021.