By Dorothy Musyoka
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has achieved a significant breakthrough in the long-running case over the brutal murder of former Kabete MP Hon. George Muchai, after the High Court in Nairobi ruled that four accused persons must stand trial.
In a ruling delivered by Justice Kanyi Kimondo, the court held that the prosecution had established a strong prima facie case against Eric Mungera Isabwa, Raphael Kimani Gachii, Mustafa Kimani Anyoni and Stephen Astiva Lipopo.
The four are accused of orchestrating the cold-blooded killing of Hon. Muchai, his two police bodyguards. in February 2015.
“The four are accused of orchestrating the cold-blooded killing of Hon. Muchai, his two police bodyguards namely Constable Samuel Kimathi and Constable Samuel Lekakeny alongside his driver, Stephen Ituu Wambugu, along Kenyatta Avenue in February 2015,” stated the ODPP.
This ruling follows an intensive prosecution process in which the DPP called 37 witnesses, presenting a compelling mix of direct, circumstantial and documentary evidence.
Among them was a protected taxi driver who placed one of the accused, Mustafa Kimani Anyoni, at the centre of the crime.
He also produced a gun safety pin recovered in his vehicle, which forensic experts confirmed as evidence linked to the murder.
In detailed submissions, the DPP demonstrated that the killings were premeditated, pointing to the accused persons’ use of dangerous weapons and execution-style shootings as proof of careful planning.
“In detailed submissions, the DPP demonstrated that the killings were not random but premeditated, pointing to the accused persons’ use of dangerous weapons and the execution-style shootings as evidence of careful planning. Autopsy reports by Dr. Johansen Oduor confirmed all four victims died of close-range gunshot wounds from high-velocity firearms,” noted the ODPP.
While acknowledging the strength of the prosecution’s case, Justice Kimondo refrained from making determinations on parallel robbery with violence charges pending before a Nairobi magistrate’s court.
Meanwhile, three co-accused Jane Wanjiru Kamau, Margaret Njeri Wachiuri and Simon Wambugu Gichamba were acquitted after the court found insufficient evidence against them.
The case is set for a defence hearing on October 22, 2025, where the four accused will be required to respond to the evidence presented against them.