Security Guard Identifies Suspect In The Murder Of of socialite Starlet Wahu

BY ERIC ABUGA

Isaiah Omondi Olang, a Clinical Officer at South B Hospital, has told the Milimani High Court on how he attended to an emergency case involving a male patient who later tunred out as the accused in the murder of socialite Starlet Wahu.

Ms Wahu was killed on the night of January 3, 2024, at Papino Apartments in South B, Nairobi.

The patient, John Matara Ong’oa whom he later identified in court as the accused, had sustained two stab wounds; one on the right thigh and another on the right hand, and appeared intoxicated. 

Olang said that together with three other medical personnel, they administered first aid to stop the bleeding and gave him painkillers. He also issued a referral letter to Mbagathi Hospital at the request of the patient for further management. According to Olang, the accused remained at South B Hospital for under two hours.

The Prosecution, led by Ms. Della Wilbey, Ms. Sarah Ogweno, and Ms. Peris Maina, presented testimony from a clinical officer, a police forensic analyst, and two security guards; witnesses who provided critical insight into the events surrounding the death of Wahu.

Police Constable Elizabeth Njuguna, a forensic video analyst told the Court thta after reviewing the CCTV footage from the apartment, she prepared 23 still photographs dated January 23, 2024, all of which she produced in court.

She confirmed that the footage played in chronological order with no evidence of tampering. The videos captured a man and woman entering Papino Apartments on the evening of January 3, 2024. 

The man was seen wearing a black cap, bluish long-sleeved shirt, brown trousers, and carrying a red bag. 

Later, at 10:09 p.m., the footage showed the same man alone in the corridor, this time with a white cloth around his neck. He briefly waited at the lift, then used the staircase to the third floor before taking the lift to the ground floor. A stain, suspected to be blood, was visible on his leg. He exited the main entrance at 10:11 p.m.

Despite providing detailed scene analysis, Njuguna told the court she could not positively identify the man, as his face was not clearly visible in any of the footage.

The final two witnesses, security guards Joseph Ndungi and George Gitau, were stationed at Solace Park Apartments and Papino Apartments respectively.

Ndungi told the court that he saw a suspicious man leaving Papino Apartments that night. The man wore blue t-shirt, white towel, and khaki trousers, and Ndungi noticed what appeared to be bloodstains on his legs.

Concerned, Ndungi reached out to Gitau to confirm if he had seen the man leave the building, which he had not. The two then reviewed CCTV footage and noticed the man had exited from the fourth floor. 

Following a trail of blood, they ascended to the fourth floor where they found blood leading to door number Y32, which was locked. Gitau contacted the apartment owner, Florence, who arrived with a spare key.

Upon entering, they discovered the lifeless body of a naked woman lying on the floor. Bloodstains were visible from the bedroom to the sitting room, and the body had visible injuries to the neck. Ndungi later confirmed in court that the man seen in the footage was the same person present in court, John Matara.

Gitau corroborated Ndungi’s account and added that he had not witnessed the man’s exit as he had gone to check on water tanks at the time.