A man police believe to have used his Toyota Noah to dispose of the body off of Mary Wambui was arraigned in the Kiambu Law Court yesterday.
The court allowed detectives to hold Mr Michael Githae Mathenge in custody for seven more days as they conclude investigations. Police believe Mathenge had been known to Kori’s mistress, Ms Judy Wangui Mungai for two years, during which he often provided her with car-hire services.
Ms Wangui and her lover, Wambui’s husband Joseph Kori Karue, are also in custody helping with investigations. The case will be mentioned on February 13.
Mr Githae was arrested on Monday afternoon after being lured into a police trap. He appeared before Kiambu Senior Principal Magistrate Stella Atambo, but did not take plea.
Investigating officer Cornelius Arwasa told Ms Atambo that preliminary findings show that Mr Githae could have been “involved or participated in the commission of the offence”.
He admitted to police that he has known Ms Mungai as a customer since 2016. Ms Mungai, he said, had earlier on the day of the murder, January 26, asked Mr Githae to expect some business.
Police believe the “business” was disposing of the body using his car — a KCK registration series — which despite being captured on CCTV entering Fourways Junction Estate, where Ms Mungai has a home, and in which Ms Kamangara was apparently killed, has not been found. Police are looking for it.
A car driven by Ms Wangui — a white Mercedes registration number KCC 068U — had also gone missing for two days before it was recovered in Kwa Maiko, a trading centre in Githunguri, Kiambu County. The car is now in police custody.
In a sworn affidavit, Mr Arwasa told the court that evidence gathered so far was at the scene of the murder around the time the incident happened.
He also said Ms Mungai and Mr Githae were in constant communication after they left the estate soon after midnight.
Police have confiscated Mr Githae’s phone for forensic examination at the DCI Cyber Crime Unit with a view to retrieve the communication between him and Ms Mungai and any other person during the period of interest.
Mr Githae’s registered mobile numbers have also been forwarded to the Safaricom head office for analysis.