Plea for suspect in murder of three children deferred

Enock Onsanse, at the Eldoret Law Court, before he was transferred to High Court yesterday. The suspect had been in the police cell to allow the police complete investigations against him, concerning the murder of the three children at Kapsoya estate in Uasin Gishu County recently. The case will heard on June 14 2017. PHOTOS BY PETER OCHIENG/STANDARD.

A man suspected of killing three children was arraigned in an Eldoret court but did not take a plea.

High Court judge George Kimondo deferred the taking of plea to next week to allow the suspect, Enoch Onanse, to get a lawyer to represent him.

The judge said the suspect would only plead to the charges when he appointed a lawyer for fair representation.

He directed the accused, who is likely to face murder charges, remanded at the Eldoret GK Prison as the High Court Deputy Registrar makes arrangement to ensure that he has access to a lawyer.

"The court has received directions from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions that the suspect has three counts of killings to answer to but he will formally take a plea on June 14 in the presence of an advocate," said the judge.

It was not however clear why another suspect police said they had arrested in connection with the killings was not presented in court.

Mr Onsanse, an uncle of the three children whose father is Kapsoya MCA aspirant James Ratemo, had earlier been accused of abduction following their disappearance.

 The State withdrew the initial charges of abduction to make way for new charges.