The case of a Ugandan doctor who was killed and buried in a shallow grave in Malava constituency will proceed today to save the witnesses from Uganda unnecessary hustle and travel expenses.
The witnesses who constitute the family of the late Dr Gideon Simiyu Wamasebo, who was killed in Kenya on February 7, last year had been slated for a marathon hearing of the murder case against the self-proclaimed medicine man, Kelvin Shatome, from Monday to Wednesday.
The case had kicked off with Shatome taking to the dock alone as his other five co-accused, Ugandans, remained in the neighbouring country's remand prisons after extradition orders applied by the prosecution failed to materialise.
The co-accused in Uganda are Kennedy Murambafu, Robert Chatome, Saleh Sulaiman, Brian Nsubuga and Ester Lauren.
Justice Patrick Otieno allowed the case to go on in their absence even as he gave the orders to push the hearing forward by a day after Shatome's lawyer, Victor Onsango, protested that the prosecution was "ambushing" him with fresh evidence.
"Considering that we have witnesses who travelled from Uganda the prosecution should serve the lawyer with any material they wish to rely on that had not been served so that the case proceeds on Tuesday and Wednesday," he said on Monday.
Onsango said he had no trouble with the short period he had been given to peruse the fresh evidence for the sake of the Baganda witnesses camped in Kenya for the trial.
State lawyer, Natasha Chala, gave the case summary before the court saying the decorated Ugandan doctor aged 60, travelled in the country last year February to seek medical assistance only to meet his death at the hands of the 23-year-old self-proclaimed healer.
"The doctor had presented himself as having various challenges including swollen feet, high blood pressure and his wife at the time had a stroke," said Chala.
"The doctor also wanted to secure prosperity in life as the accused portrayed himself as one who could help him out," she added.
Chala said that Shatome would extort as much money as he wished during the 'healing' rituals and considered the doctor his esteemed client.
But, according to the prosecution, it reached a point where Wamasebo's health was not improving and he decided to cut ties with the 'healer.'.
"When the accused realised that, he kidnapped the doctor and decided to contact his family to pay ransom for his release. He demanded a motor vehicle, three cows and title deeds of property of the doctor," she said.
Chala told the court that the family of the doctor then reported to the police in Uganda and efforts to rescue him started spreading all the way to Kenya where his body was found buried in a shallow grave along River Isiukhu.
Wamasebo had travelled from Uganda on February 6 and his body was discovered in Kenya on February 13.
She said the Uganda and Kenya police would later find the property of the doctor in Shatome's Mbale home in eastern Uganda and even in his Malava home in western Kenya making police hold him as a prime suspect in his murder.
