'Torture chambers' tenant charged with robbery with violence

A tenant at Nairobi's Daykio Heights Apartments suspected to have been used as a torture chamber appeared before the magistrate's court.

Dishon Peter Mulinge was charged with robbery with violence weeks after police officers raided the apartment in Lavington area.

Mulinge pleaded not guilty to the robbery, forgery and additional charges of being in possession of two rifles and a pistol illegally and was released on a bond of Sh 1 million with a similar surety.

According to the charge sheet, Mulinge together with others robbed Dennis Mombo Mwangeka and seriously wounded him.

"On the night of October 31 and November 1, 2015 at the said apartments jointly without others not before court while armed with dangerous weapons robbed Mwangeka of Sh 80,000, a golden ring valued at Sh 150,000 and a golden wrist watch valued at Sh100,000," read the charge sheet.

Mulinge, also known as Peter Kinuthia and Swalleh Mulinge, is facing three counts of being in possession of two M16 rifles, a pistol and 33 rounds of ammunition without a firearm certificate.

State Counsel Duncan Ondimu told the court that the prosecution was intending to consolidate the matter with another still before court.

Ondimu asked the court to give the accused the same bond terms and to allow consolidation of the matters to ease trial.

"Your honour this matter is related to another where the accused person was released on Sh 1 million bond without a cash bail. We seek for the same terms to be applied on this case," he said.

The accused through his lawyer did not object to the consolidation but requested for copies of the amended charge sheet and any other documentary evidence that the prosecution would rely on during the trial of the case.

Daykio Apartments came into the limelight in November after police through sources raided the house which seemed to have been abandoned recently and had walls and curtains splattered with blood.

A caretaker at the apartments told the media that the house had been rented by a man and a woman in their mid-thirties who were later joined by four other men.

"They looked jovial but never interacted with other people much," he said.

Dagoreti criminal investigation Chief Joseph Ondoro said detectives found a lease agreement and forwarded the details to the Registrar of Persons for possible identification of the tenant.