Aisha Jumwa and her aide to face murder charges

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP) on Wednesday approved murder and assault charges against Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa and her bodyguard Geoffrey Okuto Otieno over the fatal shooting of a man last year.  

Ms Jumwa and Mr Otieno are accused of killing Gumbao Jola, an uncle of the ODM politician Reuben Mwambize Katana, during the October 2019 Ganda by-election campaigns.

Detectives investigated murder, incitement to violence and assault claims against the duo.

The police were also seeking to know whether Ms Jumwa breached the Electoral Code of Conduct.

Ms Jumwa, whom the prosecution has described as confrontational and an inciter, is said to have stormed Mr Katana’s home in a convoy with her aides leading to the unfortunate incident.

The approval of the murder and assault charges against the Malindi lawmaker comes two months after she was arrested and charged with conspiracy to defraud the Malindi National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) of Sh19 million, conflict of interest, money laundering and acquisition of proceeds of crime.

She appeared before a Mombasa court in August and denied the charges. Ms Jumwa was released on a Sh5 million bond with surety or an alternative of Sh2 million cash bail.

After her release, the legislator claimed that there are forces that are fighting her and will soon ensure that she is arrested and arraigned in court for murder.

“I know all this is being done to fight me because of my stand, in two weeks they will bring me here again to charge me with murder, but I want to tell them I will not be cowed down by their attempts to bring me down,” said Ms Jumwa then.

Ms Jumwa, who supports the Deputy President William Ruto and is among his key point people in the Coast region since she decamped from the ODM party, said she will fight back those fighting her to settle their political scores.