Police officer accused of killing Nakumatt employee charged afresh

NAIROBI: A police officer charged with the murder of a Nakumatt employee has been charged afresh after the previous charge sheet was found to be defective.

 

Ezekiel Momanyi Onsongo who is based at Runda police station appeared before High Court Judge Luka Kimaru where he denied the charge for the second time.

 

He was charged alongside Philip Manyura Maroko, the supermarket's account manager and Dennison Mose Maroko a motorcycle rider.

The trio denied killing James Karanja, who was a senior auditor at the supermarket chain, on May 7 this year at Nakumatt Supermarket, along Mombasa road at 6.30 pm.

Prosecution told Justice Kimaru that there was a typing error on the charge sheet that needed to be amended.

Justice Kimaru further heard that the prosecution would produce 35 witnesses to prove that the three people committed the offence.

Police investigators stated in a sworn affidavit that the deceased was shot twice in the head while leaving the supermarket after the day's work by the police officer who was on the motorcycle commonly referred to as boda boda.

The investigation police pointed out that the suspects did not steal anything from Karanja who was on his way home but died on the spot.

It is alleged that the auditor was killed for blocking avenues that were used by some employees to steal money from the supermarket through the distribution network.

The police stated that the deceased was murdered after linking senior managers to the theft.

The trio had last week denied the charges before Justice Jessie Lessit who remanded them at Industrial Area Prison.

The three had previously been arraigned before the Makadara Law Courts but did not answer to the charges after the investigating officers requested for more time to continue with investigations.