Drama in court as suspected sex workers' killer disowns his name

Aston Wachira

A man believed to be the main suspect behind the brutal murders of Nakuru commercial sex workers was arraigned at a Nakuru court Monday.

Aston Wachira caused a stir when he appeared before High Court Judge Maureen Odero and disowned the name indicated on the charge sheet.

Wachira caused further drama when he demanded that the charges be read to him in English instead of Kiswahili.

“I understand Kiswahili perfectly but I want to be addressed in English,” he said.

“That is not my name (Aston Wachira). I am a Muslim,” he said confidently, only for Justice Odero to cut short his antics, telling him that his religion was not of interest to the court.

“The court is not interested in your religion. Is that the name that people know you by,” asked the judge, shutting off the seemingly extra-confident suspect.

The charges read that on January 17, 2016, Wachira murdered Maureen Wanjiku at Freehold within Nakuru town.

The suspect was arrested on Sunday while allegedly transporting Wanjiku’s body in a tuk tuk. It was reported that police on patrol stopped the tuk tuk after they noticed that a woman passenger at the back seat was unconscious.

The woman was rushed to hospital where she was confirmed dead.

Justice Odero ordered that the suspected killer be taken for mental assessment at the Rift Valley Provincial Hospital and then remanded at the Nakuru GK Prison.

The judge directed that Wachira be produced again in court on February 1 to answer to charges that he killed the sex worker.

Fear and fury have gripped residents of the town following the killing of ten commercial sex workers in the past five months.

There has been suspicion that a serial killer has been behind the killings.

Most of the bodies have had bruises on the neck, suggesting that they were strangled. Others had their throats slit and, in extreme cases, the clients-turned-killers have chopped off their private parts.

Towards the end of last year, four commercial sex workers were killed in a span of four weeks.

And barely three weeks into the New Year, two others including a mother of two, Grace Wangari, have been killed.

Wangari’s body was found at a lodging room in Nakuru Central Business District on the morning of January 7.