DPP orders inquest into anchor’s girlfriend death

By CYRUS OMBATI

The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) has ordered a public inquest to determine what killed Careen Chepchumba Kili, the girlfriend of a former TV anchor Louis Otieno.

Keriako Tobiko told CID boss Francis Muhoro there was no evidence to sustain a case of murder in regard to the death of the 26-year-old information technology specialist. 

The DPP said there is uncontroverted forensic evidence that the deceased’s death was caused by asphyxia due to manual strangulation.

“However, I agree with you that the totality of the evidence in the file does not connect her murder with any identified persons or group including Louis Armstrong Otieno,” said Tobiko in a letter to Muhoro.

The letter dated July 30 indicated he had accepted the CID’s recommendations that the matter be disposed off by public inquest during which all interested parties would canvas the evidence tendered by the State and produce their own.

Police had completed their investigations but were unable to conclusively identify who might have killed Careen on Valentine’s Day this year.

In an inquest suspects are not permitted to defend themselves.  If the verdict is murder or culpable accident, criminal prosecution may follow and suspects are able to defend themselves then.

Careen, an employee of Kenya Power, was found dead on her bed at Santonia Court, off Kirichwa Road in Kilimani area, Nairobi, on February 14.