A Naivasha man charged with 12 counts of rape and robbery with violence has agreed to be remanded in custody for his own safety.
Samuel Mwaniki alias Machete, who appeared before Naivasha Senior Resident Magistrate Lyna Sarapai, yesterday concurred with the prosecution that his life will be in danger should the court release him on bond.
State Counsel Alex Ndiema said the government cannot guarantee his safety should he be released on bond.
“During his arrest members of the public were baying for his blood and police had to move him from Karai police post and Naivasha police station for his own safety. The State cannot guarantee his safety if released on bail,” Mr Ndiema told the court.
On his part Mwaniki said he had no objection to the application for his detention but accused the arresting officer of trying to fix him as he had a pending case against them at the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA).
The State believe that Mwaniki was involved in at least 12 incidents of rape, including one where three teenage girls were sexually molested during a party at a home in Kayole Estate on May 22, 2021.
Victims of the incident described their attacker as a man wielding a machete, which police said they recovered from the suspect during his arrest in Mai Mahiu.
According to the charge sheet, on the May 22, in Kayole estate he raped three women and indecently touched them while using threats.
He further faced four other charges of violently robbing his victims off their electronic goods while using the deadly machete to threaten them.
He was arrested in Mai Mahiu area ten days ago after police managed to track him using a mobile phone he had stolen from one of the rape victims.
The suspect is accused of a series of robberies and rapes along the Nairobi- Nakuru highway and in various estates including Kayole, Karai, Mountain View and Mirera.
Among the items recovered from the suspect popularly known as ‘machete’ were sex enhancing drugs, the infamous machete and electronic goods stolen from the victims.
The magistrate directed that the accused be held at Naivasha GK prison with the case set for mention on the 6th of July 2021.