A carpenter who allegedly murdered his wife, dismembered her body, stuffed her limbs in a bag and attempted to escape has told a Nairobi court that he wants to recant his statement, claiming police forced him to sign it.
Mr John Kyama Wambua, 29, on Monday told Milimani Magistrate Carolyne Nyaguthie that he was coerced by police to admit that he killed Joy Fridah Munani ,19, at Huruma Estate, Nairobi.
Man accused of killing his wife remanded for two weeks
Mr Wambua claimed that when he was arrested and detained at Huruma Police Station, some police officers forced him to sign a statement that had already been written.
"Your honour, l pray to the court to help me because I was forced to sign a statement. It did not come from me. I did not volunteer the statement l was compelled to sign it," he told the magistrate.
Mr Wambua, who was presented before Ms Nyaguthie for a mention of his miscellaneous case, had been detained for 21 days.
The investigating officer requested the court to allow him to continue holding Mr Wambua for 14 more days pending directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga’s decision on whether to charge him with murder or not.
The officer told the court that they had completed investigations into the case and had forwarded the file to DPP the for perusal and advice
"The investigations into this matter are complete and we forwarded the file to the DPP’s office on February 13, 2025 for perusal and advice. We are seeking for two more weeks to detain the suspect as we wait for directions from the DPP," the investigating officer told the magistrate.
" If the DPP decides to charge you, the trial court will hear your application on being forced to sign the statement. The court will give directions on the matter since today is only to mention whether investigations were completed", Ms Nyaguthie stated.
In January 20, 2025 police were allowed to detain Mr Wambua for 21 days to allow for completion of investigation
The suspect was arrested in Nairobi's Huruma area carrying a suspicious bag in which police found body parts of a human being.
According to the investigating officer, during interrogation, the suspect led police to his house, where additional body parts were discovered hidden beneath the bed.
Mr Wambua reportedly confessed that the remains belonged to his wife, Joy Fridah Munani aged 19.
Police allege that the suspect admitted to killing his wife following an argument after finding her with another man. He reportedly confessed to dismembering the body in an attempt to dispose of it.
Police from Huruma Police Station, in collaboration with the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau of the DCI, conducted a site analysis and recovered one of the alleged murder weapons.
During the interrogation, the suspect confessed that the body parts belonged to his deceased wife.
Following the revelation, the officers were compelled to visit the suspect's house for further interrogation.
While conducting the investigations, the officers reportedly found more dismembered parts of a human body beneath the suspect's bed.
