Two suspects arrested in connection with the murder of a Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) Tabuga Parish pastor have been charged with robbery with violence at the Nakuru Law Courts.
Beryl Nafula Otenyo and Felix Odinga Okumu were charged with the offence of robbery with violence, contrary to Section 296 (2) of the Penal Code, to which they pleaded not guilty.
The particulars of the charge sheet stated that on May 4 2026, at PCEA Tabuga Parish in Bahati Sub-County, they, together with others not before the court were armed with crude weapons, and robbed Rev Julius Ndumia of one Samsung Galaxy A16 mobile phone, containing Safaricom, Airtel, and Faiba SIM cards valued at Sh22,500, and a cash deposit of Sh162,000 in M-Pesa at the time of the robbery or immediately after.
They also faced a second charge of robbery with violence after they were found in possession of a mobile phone belonging to the church security guard, Bernard Nyamwaka, worth Sh18,500, and were accused of injuring him at the time of the robbery.
Nafula faced an alternative count of handling stolen property, as she was found in possession of Rev Ndumia’s mobile phone on diverse dates between May 4 and 8.
The investigating officer had filed an affidavit through the prosecution seeking the denial of bond terms, arguing that the suspects would interfere with ongoing investigations.
According to the prosecution, detectives are still conducting investigations concerning other suspects who are yet to be arrested, and releasing the accused persons at this stage would likely compromise the tracing of other suspects.
The prosecution told the court that the suspects are a flight risk, noting that the circumstances surrounding the case have been in the public domain and that the death of Rev Ndumia elicited significant outrage within the community, especially given the nature of the offence.
“Your honour considering the serious nature of the offences which they have been charged with, we pray that you allow the application to have bond denied at this stage. The right to bond under article 49 is not absolute therefore this court has the power/order to grant or deny,” said the Investigating officer.
The two accused persons pleaded with the court to release them on bond, stating that they are a couple and their continued detention is affecting their young children who have no one to look after them. They also requested to be allocated legal representation.
Chief Magistrate ordered that the two be released on a Sh300,000 bond or a cash bail of Sh200,000, noting that it is their constitutional right.
The court found that the prosecution failed to prove that the lives of Nafula and Odinga are at risk or how they would interfere with investigations, as she did not demonstrate how the suspects would access the witnesses.
“The court is not satisfied with the reasons given to deny the suspects bond, they will be released on a Sh300,000 bond or surety of the same amount. If they pay the cash bail, they must provide a contact person who can be reached to ensure they appear in court. The committee in charge of ensuring those who do not have legal representation should appoint a lawyer to represent the two, since it is a capital offence,” the Chief Magistrate ruled.
