Taxi driver recounts night of activist Joan Muthoni's death

Residents march through Nyeri town en route to St Peter's Cemetery for the burial of activist Joan Muthoni, November 6, 2018. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI

What you need to know:

  • Like police, Ndiritu Mwaniki said Joan Muthoni died after being stabbed in the thigh with a sharp object inside a house in Nyeri town.
  • She was with four people including her lover Geoffrey Gathenya Gachukia, who is accused of causing the death, he said.

A taxi driver on Friday gave his account of the night that political activist Joan Muthoni died but the defence team questioned it, terming his statement scanty.

Like police, Mr Ndiritu Mwaniki said Ms Muthoni died after being stabbed in the thigh with a sharp object inside a house in Nyeri town.

Mr Mwaniki told the court that he picked the activist from a location near Nyeri Gold Club at 9pm and that he did not know her attacker.

He said the woman bled profusely so her clothes were soaked as he rushed her to Nyeri County Referral Hospital on the night of October 24, 2018.

She was with four people including her lover Geoffrey Gathenya Gachukia, who is accused of causing the death, he said.

“It was the accused who told me to escort her to hospital. He was with us in the car,” said the witness.

HOLES

However, through lawyer Njuguna Kimani, the accused poked holes into Mr Mwaniki's statement that police took on October 31, 2018.

While testifying against Mr Gachukia, who is facing the manslaughter charge, the witness was asked to explain why the statement had scanty details of the incident.

Lawyer Kimani told the court that the witness did nit sign the statement.

He added, "The statement does not indicate the registration number of the car the witness was driving."

He also noted that Mr Mwaniki contradicted himself when he said Mr Gchaukia remained at the house as he took Ms Muthoni to hospital and that he later accompanied them to the facility.

“The witness says he carried the victim and the accused to hospital but the police statement says he only carried the victim. He also says the deceased had injuries on her thigh but in the statement he did not note there were injuries,” the lawyer said.

Resident Magistrate Nelly Kariuki adjourned the case to March 20, when the prosecution will produce more witnesses to testify against Mr Gachukia.