Mombasa High Court on Wednesday, December 21, quashed murder charges against Gender and Public Service Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa following an application by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Judge Ann Onginjo noted that the court would no longer entertain the charges after DPP expressed interest to drop the case.
Appearing before the court, Jumwa's lawyer, Danstan Omari, noted that the Cabinet Secretary is relieved to know that her charges have been revoked.
“We are very grateful for the state after reviewing the evidence provided and came to a conclusion. I want to thank the court for indulging us this far and allowing us to engage in reviewing the charges,” he stated.
Omari thank the court for standing by the rule of law and dispensing justice accordingly. He further added that the charges had negatively affected Jumwa’s life.
“It has shuttered the family and a number of her social life but we appreciate the state conclusion,’ he noted.
Onginjo discharged Jumwa from the criminal proceedings, granting her a chance to testify as a state witness against her former body guard Geoffrey Otieno Okuto.
"In consideration of the oral application made by the ODPP in November, followed by a letter from Coast Region Coordinator Hassan Abdi, Jumwa is hereby discharged from the proceedings," she announced.
The judge further warned that Section 87(a)1, under which Jumwa was discharged did not bar the state from prosecuting her in future.
On November 30, the ODPP applied to withdraw the murder case. The application was made in a virtual session before Judge Onginjo.
At the times, Onginjo raised her dissatisfaction with the manner in which the application was filed and subsequently set a date for a formal application.
Jumwa and Okuto had been charged with the murder of ODM supporter Jola Ngumbao in Malindi during campaigns for the Ganda ward by-election.
