Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji on Friday, January 24, announced that he was seeking to terminate manslaughter charges against lawyer Assa Nyakundi and instead, prefer murder charges.
Nyakundi was facing manslaughter charges after he shot his son, Joseph Bogonko, in what he claimed was an accident on March 17, 2019.
Through its social media pages, the Directorate of Public Prosecutions indicated that Haji had acquired new evidence in the case.
"DPP Noordin Haji is seeking to terminate manslaughter charges against lawyer Assa Nyakundi and instead, prefer murder charges, based on new evidence," the prosecution body wrote on Twitter.
"The DPP, through SADPP Alex Muteti and Wangui Gichuhi submitted to Kiambu Senior Principal Magistrate Teresia Nyangena that the new evidence would warrant murder charges against Nyakundi at the High Court," Haji's office announced.
The court will rule on Haji's application on March 26, 2020.
Nyakundi and his late son had just attended a service at ICC Church along Mombasa Road and were heading home to Muthaiga when the fatal incident took place.
As they were approaching the house, Nyakundi is said to have shot his son in the chest while safeguarding his pistol.
He then rushed him to Aga Khan Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The lawyer then proceeded to Muthaiga Police Station to report the matter.
Nyakundi was arrested following the incident and rushed to hospital at around 1 a.m. when detectives questioning him realised he was slipping into shock.
He had previously told the court that the circumstances under which his son died were catastrophic and the event had torn the family apart.
He informed the court that he was fearful of losing his family and that he had involved the church in an effort to mitigate the crisis.
