The administration police officer suspected of shooting and killing a bodaboda rider at the Mama Lucy Kibaki hospital in Komarock area, Nairobi on Tuesday will be held in police custody until February 28.
Detective constable Laban Kalama attached to Kayole Directorate of Criminal Investigations offices obtained custodial orders to hold constable Zadock Achuka Ayego at the Kayole police station.
The orders were granted by Makadara chief magistrate Heston Nyaga.
Kalama said he is investigating a case of murder where Ayego is suspected to have shot dead Daniel Mburu Wangari during a confrontation between police officers and bodaboda riders at the hospital.
He said Mburu was rushed to the same hospital where he succumbed to injuries.
He had sought 14 days custodial orders to record witness statements, conduct a mental assessment of the suspect and get the postmortem report of the deceased.
Objected
Ayego’s lawyer Ayako Kanyoko, however, objected. She said the detention period sought by the DCI was unnecessarily long.
“The incident happened n Nairobi, all witnesses are in Nairobi and the investigations are happening in Nairobi. Three days should be enough,” Kanyoko said.
But state counsel Joseph Mburugu said the time was not lengthy. Mburugu said the investigations were not happening in the same office.
For instance, Mburugu said the mental assessment is only done at the Mathari Hospital and a booking must be done and an appointment obtained before the suspect is taken there.
Nyaga said he is considerate that the matter has sparked public interest because of the stature of the suspect – being a police officer but the same cannot affect the determination on whether he will be granted bail and bond or not.
Several witnesses have recorded statements with the DCI, including Mburu’s mother, the two riders who went to the hospital with him.
They had been arrested during a commotion that happened as they were being forced out of the hospital and locked up at the Kayole police station but were released on Wednesday after recording the statements.
