Nairobi — The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is seeking 21 days to hold Vincent Kirimi alias Supuu, the main suspect in the murder of Meru blogger Sniper.
According to a statement from the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the Inspector General of Police has also been given seven days to forward the murder inquiry file.
Supuu was re-arrested days after the Meru based court quashed the application by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) seeking custodial orders on suspicion of abduction.
The court instead granted the suspect bail and set the application for mention on 5th January 2024.
The Chief Magistrate handed the suspect a Sh20,000.00 bail and ordered him to report to the police station every 14 days.
"The DPP has directed that Miscellaneous Application E166 of 2023 filed at Maua Law Courts be withdrawn forthwith," the ODPP stated.
Currently, the ODPP has constituted a Team of Senior Prosecutors to guide the investigations to ensure the prosecution that the perpetrators shall be held liable irrespective of their status in society.
The Renson Ingonga led office might be looking into crime alongside other offences as he has directed the Inspector General of the National Police Service to forward the resultant Murder Inquiry File to his Office within Seven days.
"Upon receipt the Murder Inquiry File, the DPP undertakes to review the facts and evidence contained therein in line with the Constitution of Kenya, the ODPP Decision to Charge Guidelines of 2019 together with the relevant laws and issue appropriate directions," ODPP said.
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The Meru blogger was reported missing on December 2, 2023, and his body was found dumped in Mutonga River in Tharaka Nithi County on December 16, 2023.
A postmortem examination conducted by government pathologist Johansen Oduor at the Marimanti Level 4 Hospital Mortuary in Tharaka Nithi, Meru County revealed that he died after being strangled on the neck.
Sniper's body had marks on his neck , he had fractured ribs and showed injuries on his head which suggested that he was strangled and he exhibited signs of a person who had lacked oxygen.
"There were no signs of struggle and he seemed to have been completely subdued to a level that he could not fight back. We have taken some samples of organs that will be subjected to toxicology tests to establish whether there were substances used to achieve this," Oduor said.
Sniper's family, fellow bloggers, and political leaders have called for speedy investigations into the murder calling for those culpable to be brought to book.
