Journalist charged with wife’s murder to wait for court’s decision
Investigative journalist Moses Dola, who is accused of killing his wife NTV’s Wanjiru Kabiru five years ago, will know whether he has a case to answer in two months time
High Court judge Roseline Korir said she will make the ruling on May 10.
Prosecution through state lawyer Catherine Mwaniki had told the court that 16 witnesses had testified to establish a legitimate case against Mr Dola.
“The accused’s conduct was that of a guilty person, he presented himself to the police after disappearing for a while, prosecution has therefore established a prema facie case and he can now be convicted because the evidence presented is truthful,” Ms Mwaniki said.
BEDROOM LOCKED
Ms Mwaniki also told court that the evidence presented had indicated that Mr Dola lied about the whereabouts of the deceased yet it was clear that she was in their bedroom and he had locked the door.
She further told court that medical reports presented in court had shown that Ms Kabiru was hit by a blunt object and that Mr Dola had ample time to discard evidence linking him to the crime which occurred on May 1, 2011.
Prosecution insisted that evidence presented before the trial court was consistent with the facts of the incident.
Lady Justice Korir had issued arrest warrants for the househelp – Ms Eunice Mwangi – who lived with the couple during the incident.
The judge said the househelp was the most important witness in the case, describing her as the only person capable of shedding light on how events unfolded on the night of Ms Kabiru’s murder.
COUPLE ARGUED
Ms Mwangi, in her testimony, had revealed that the couple had had an argument on the fateful day and that Mr Dola had even asked her what a man “was supposed to do if he disagreed with his wife”.
Mr Dola was charged on May 16, 2011 after presenting himself to the police and the trial kicked off before Justice Nicholas Ombija.
However the trial had to start afresh in February 2014 after Justice Nicholas Ombija, who was handling the case, had appealed against a decision to be sacked by the Judges and Magistrates Vetting Board.
Three out of 12 witnesses had already testified before judge Ombija.
Ms Wambui’s body was found carefully tucked in a bed in a locked bedroom in the couple’s house in Umoja Estate.
While Prosecution believes that Mr Dola’s disappearance proved he is guilty, the defense has insisted that it was merely a human reaction.
When he presented himself to the police in Naivasha, Mr Dola remained in custody till September 2011 after being released on a Sh500, 000 cash bail.
