Kakamega man in custody over claims of killing his son

The court has allowed police to detain Philip Mackenzie for 14 days pending investigations into the killing of his six-year-old son.

Mackenzie appeared before Kakamega Law Courts on Monday morning on a miscellaneous application for allegedly killing his son at Murhanda village in Kakamega on Friday. 

Chief Magistrate Julius Ngarngar said he ="https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/entertainment/counties/article/2001301729/kakamega-man-killed-for-attempting-to-rape-his-biological-mother">was persuaded by the miscellaneous< application filed by police and allowed the suspect to be held for two weeks. 

"I have carefully considered the application and, there being no objection from the suspect, I find there are compelling reasons to warrant detention. The time sought (14 days) is reasonable enough to carry out a comprehensive investigation," said Ngarngar. 

The Chief Magistrate ordered that the suspect be detained at Shinyalu Police Station. 

“The suspect will be detained at Shinyalu Police Station for further investigations by the police officers," he said. 

The investigating officer told court that ="https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/western/article/2000195197/kakamega-man-kills-father-over-ugali">David Amukune died while< receiving treatment at Kakamega County Referral Hospital after sustaining injuries and requested for 14 days to complete investigations. 

He also made an application to have Mackenzie undergo mental assessment at Kakamega County Referral Hospital to ascertain if he is fit to stand trial. 

Police said the body was at the Kakamega morgue awaiting autopsy to determine the cause of death.  

“The detention of the suspect is necessary for the furtherance and finalizing of the investigation. His release could lead to further interference with ongoing investigations," said the investigating officer. 

The case will be mentioned on February 22.