Charges against Mirema shooting suspect dropped

Dennis Karani Gichuki. [Collins Kweyu, Standard]

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has dropped murder charges against a man who police suspected of being involved in the daylight shooting of a man at Mirema Drive in Nairobi.

Detectives investigating the killing of Samuel Muvota told the court that they had completed investigations but they did not find any evidence linking Dennis Karani Gachoki with the chilling murder on May 16.

As a result, the DCI and the prosecution asked Nairobi senior principal magistrate Caroline Njagi to release the suspect who has been in their custody for the last 14 days.

“Since there is no evidence linking the suspect to the alleged murder, the court hereby releases him and close the file on the application that sought to detain him pending investigations,” ruled the magistrate.

The prosecution also informed the court that they had preferred six charges of stupefying against Gachoki in which he was accused of getting more than Sh3 million from his victims after drugging them.

Gachoki was charged in Makadara Law Court with the offences of stupefying in order to commit a crime and conspiracy to commit a crime by stealing from the drugged victims.

Detectives had arrested Gachoki two weeks ago over suspicion that he was the driver of the getaway car used by the man who shot and killed Muvota along Mirema Drive in Kasarani area.

According to the DCI, Muvota’s killing was executed by more than one person and they suspected Gachoki was part of the gang.

Muvota was shot dead on May 16 by a lone gun man captured on CCTV cameras pulling the trigger and then walking to a waiting car.

After the incident, the DCI released photos of Gachoki as the key suspect in Muvota’s murder.

Gachoki then surrendered to the police and was detained for 14 days to allow the police conclude investigations.