The prosecution on Friday filed an application before a Kiambu High Court seeking continued detention of the five suspects in connection with the murder of Daniel Muthiani Benard, alias Sniper, for a further 14 days.
In a statement, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said this is to allow the police to conclude their investigations into the murder.
The five suspects in custody are Kenneth Mutua Matiri, Fredrick Muruiki Kiugi, Frankline Kimathi, Timothy Kinoti, and Murangiri Kenneth Guantai.
“The prosecution, through Evelyn Onunga, argued that releasing the suspects at this point would compromise the integrity of the ongoing investigations and interfere with witnesses,” the DPP said.
The suspect has been charged with his murder contrary to Section 203 as read with Section 204 of the Penal Code.
In her application for the continued detention of the key suspects in the murder, Onunga asked the court to balance the right to liberty of the suspects against the interest of justice, peace, and security in the circumstances of the case.
The suspects were arrested in Meru town within Meru County by detectives from the Homicide Investigation Department at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations on January 4, 2024.
They were booked at various police stations within Nairobi and Kiambu.
The ruling on the prosecution’s application will be delivered on Monday, January 16, 2024.
Sniper was abducted on December 2 and his body was discovered in a thicket on the banks of Mutonga River in Tharaka Nithi county on December 15, 2023.
Autopsy results following the examination of the body at the Marimanti Level 4 Hospital Mortuary indicated that he was tortured before being strangled to death.
His murder has attracted great public interest with some quarters attributing his brutal killing to his political activism.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said on December 29, 2023, on X that
“Those responsible for organising, financing and executing the cruel murder of Daniel Muthiani, alias Sniper, have a date with justice”.
“Detectives are concluding the process of identifying the evil perpetrators, including those who lured the young man to his death and those who tortured, murdered and dumped his body in an attempt to conceal the terrible crime,” he wrote.
Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza called for fairness in investigations into the blogger's death and cautioned against what she termed as political interference.
“Do not be biased na uchunguzi unapofanywa tunataka ufanywe kwa uwazi na mtu akishikwa tunaambiwa na kesi ikiendelea tunaambiwa ameshikwa kwa nini, na ushahidi ufuatiliwe we don’t live in a banana country tunaishi katika nchi iliyo na sheria,” Kawira said during a Sunday service at her church on January 7.