Joseph Kuria Irungu alias Jowie is likely to commit suicide if he is released on bail, the prosecution has argued in court.
This was among the reasons the Director of Public Prosecutions advanced yesterday as he sought to keep him under close supervision in custody.
Mr Irungu is the fiancé of Citizen TV news anchor Jacqueline Wanjiku Maribe and appeared alongside her in a Nairobi court yesterday.
The two were charged with the murder of Monica Nyawira Kimani, who was found dead in her apartment at Lamuria Gardens in Nairobi about a month ago.
Irungu and Maribe denied the murder charge before Justice Jessie Lesiit, marking the beginning of a long journey to either prove their innocence and walk free, or face the death penalty if found guilty of murdering the 28-year-old businesswoman.
In a green skirt suit and white blouse, Maribe was calm next to her fiancé whose left arm was in a sling due to a gunshot wound in his left shoulder. The wound was sustained in an apparent attempt to take his own life.
In court to support Irungu was his mother, a few relatives and his lawyers.
His celebrity fiancée on the other hand had a battalion of friends, colleagues and family members who have stood by her since her arrest.
Unlike last week when her tears flowed freely, Maribe laughed with family and friends, including Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja, who escorted her to the basement cells after the court proceedings.
The couple's first hurdle will be to convince the court to grant them bail even as the prosecution opposed their release, arguing that Irungu was a danger to himself.
“After the incident, Irungu intended to commit suicide by shooting himself and is therefore a person who requires close supervision in prison where we have people to give him medical care and offer him counseling,” said investigating officer Maxwell Otieno.
State prosecutor Catherine Mwaniki said they would rely on Mr Otieno's affidavit, which was filed in court, to convince the judge to keep the two in custody until the trial was completed.
Otieno swore that investigations had established that both Maribe and Irungu were responsible for Ms Kimani's death based on witness statements and forensic analysis of evidence secured.
The investigator said Irungu Burt the clothes he was wearing at Maribe’s Lang'ata residence, adding that the house was a crime scene that needed to be protected.
Otieno said the couple's conduct after the murder showed that they were likely to flee the country to avoid trial.
"Maribe is also an influential person with connections in high offices, which will allow her to interfere with the case, threaten and intimidate witnesses,” said Otieno.
He added that Irungu had no known place of residence and that they were still investigating whether he had any permanent residence in a foreign country.
Otieno further stated that Irungu had pretended to be a security officer and described him as a dangerous person who could harm witnesses.
“He was seen carrying a big gun and told one of the witnesses that he was on patrol. His character portrays a person capable of inflicting fear in potential witnesses."
The investigator said they were still investigating a third suspect who was seen leaving Kimani's apartment in the company of Irungu, who was driving Maribe’s car, and that they also aimed to recover money allegedly stolen from the businesswoman on the night of her murder.
Justice Lesiit directed that the hearing of the application for bail be mentioned tomorrow before another judge of the Criminal Division.
