Ivy Wangeci’s murder: Main suspect put on defense in Eldoret court

Naftali Kinuthia, the main suspect in the murder of Moi University Medical student Ivy Wangeci three years ago was arraigned in court to answer for murder charges.

Kinuthia is accused of hacking Wangeci twice on the head using an axe outside the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH).

While appearing before the court on Friday, March 3, 2023, Kinuthia narrated to the court that their relationship goes from way back as childhood friends who were close neighbours.

He informed the court that their relationship got intimate after high school and he would occasionally visit her at the university.

The accused also recounted that Ivy had called him prior to her birthday informing him that her birthday party would cost Ksh28,000, to which he sent her Ksh14,000 to kickstart the event and promised to deliver the remaining amount to her in person.

“Before the event of April 2019, I was emotionally attached to Ivy. We had on diverse occasions separated and reconciled. Ivy’s birthday was April tenth, and she used to take her birthday celebration seriously. She was turning 25. She started making her birthday arrangement, and I got involved in the preparations after she told me through text messages and phone calls. She told me the amount of money she needed to cater for her birthday party. She told me she needed sh 28,000, and I offered to help as she wanted,” he stated.

“I didn’t have the whole amount at that moment, so I sent her Ksh14,000 to kick start the preparations. I promised to deliver the balance in person to Eldoret on 9th April 2019. I also visited her earlier on 3rd April. We had fallen out at that time. She had even blocked my calls. I came on my own volition,” he added.

Kinuthia recounted that his efforts to get Wangeci to talk over their issues were futile after she left him hanging when he visited her, he claimed that the deceased stood him up only to inform him that she was too busy for a chitchat.

“On 3rd April, as I was driving within MTRH premises, I spotted her and pulled over. I went to request her to find time so that we could talk over our issues. She told me to wait as she delivered her books to her room. She never came back,

“I tried to reach out to her friend through text messages to tell Ivy to meet me. Her friend told me she was reluctant to meet me and she was not able to convince her. I was told she was too busy to meet me. I gave up and left for Nairobi on 4th April 2019,” he added.

The court heard that Kinuthia drove back to Wangeci’s school on Tuesday, April 9, 2019, with the aim of giving her the ‘remaining’ balance for her birthday and resolving their differences.

“I decided to travel on Monday night back to Eldoret with the aim of delivering the sh 14,000 was left in balance to cater for her birthday. I arrived in Eldoret around 9 am after departing from Nairobi at 3 am,” he said.

“Upon my arrival, I had breakfast in town before heading to the Moi University School of Health Sciences hostels where I parked my car. I decided to call her but she hadn’t unblocked me. By this time, I had not told anyone that I was in Eldoret. I alighted from the car after 30 minutes, strolled around, and by luck, I spotted her since our last meeting on the 3rd,” he said.

Kinuthia added: “I tried to explain myself to her. I told had brought the remaining amount, but I wouldn’t stay for the party since I was supposed to report back to work the following day. She told me that her new boyfriend would take care of her birthday bills and that I was not invited to attend either. She told me to keep the balance and leave. The conversation was under two minutes,”

Frustrated from losing the relationship she had with the deceased, Kinuthia claims that he went to his car and picked an axe that he used to attack the deceased.

He recounted that he came to his senses when he was at the hospital after a mob attacked him.

“I went back to my car and swore never to pursue her again. Before I got into my car, I looked back and saw her holding hands with a male friend in lab coats. I felt she did that on purpose to annoy me … That’s the point I lost control, and I wasn’t thinking clearly,

“I picked the axe in my car,…from there I have no recollection of what happened ….I found myself admitted in hospital after I was attacked by a mob.. a nurse told Ivy was dead,” he added.

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