The family of Ngumbao Jola, the murdered man in the case involving Public Service Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa and her bodyguard, rendered a prayer to the court requesting the bodyguard's acquittal from the case.
Reports indicated that the family had earlier expressed their doubts in their pursuit of justice for their slain kin. In a formal request, the family sought the release of Jumwa's bodyguard, Geoffrey Okuto.
Their scepticism about the endgame of the case was evident as per the remarks made by the members of Jola's family.
Consequently, they found it fit to relinquish their pursuit of justice and noted that they would "leave the matter to God".
They added that their poor status made them fear for their safety and hence added to their reasons for withdrawing from the case.
“We are mourning with bitterness because of the death and if there is God in heaven we leave it to Him," one of the deceased's kin stated in an interview with The Standard.
The development came weeks after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) dropped CS Jumwa from the case and instead adopted her as a key witness in the case.
Consequently, the bodyguard was charged alone in a fresh case for the murder of Jola.
In the event the case continued, CS Jumwa was lined up to testify as a state witness against her bodyguard in the case.
"In consideration of the oral application made by the ODPP in November, followed by a letter from Coast Region Coordinator Hassan Abdi, now tabled in court Jumwa is hereby discharged from a murder suspect to a state witness," the High Court ruled.
The dropping of Aisha Jumwa's case by the DPP was one of the cases against prominent individuals dropped since the ascension of the Kenya Kwanza administration to power.
