Tecra Karanja’s boyfriend held 21 days for probe into her death
What you need to know:
- Mr Lali, who is in his mid 50s, faced Lamu Principal Magistrate Allan Temba by video link on Tuesday, following his arrest over Tecra's death.
- The court document says that within that period, the DCI will take statements from witnesses, analyse the scene, and conduct a postmortem and the forensic analysis of phones, CCTV footage and/or
- It was established that Tecra died from head injuries sustained in a fall on the stairs of a private house in which she was staying with Mr Lali in Shella, Lamu.
Omar Lali, boyfriend of Keroche Breweries' Tecra Muigai Karanja who died on Saturday, will be detained 21 more days for police to complete the probe into the death.
Mr Lali, who is in his mid 50s, faced Lamu Principal Magistrate Allan Temba by video link on Tuesday, following his arrest over Tecra's death.
Tecra was the daughter of Keroche owner Tabitha Muigai Karanja and the company's director of strategy and innovation.
THE INVESTIGATION
Prosecutor Eddie Kadede, who represented the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), and investigating officer Sergeant Luke Marwa applied for the suspect's detention at Lamu Police Station.
The court document says that within that period, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) will take statements from witnesses, analyse the scene, and conduct a postmortem and the forensic analysis of phones, CCTV footage and/or computers that belonged to Tecra and Mr Lali.
The investigators will also visit Nairobi and Naivasha to collect more evidence.
The suspect was represented by advocates Alfred Omwancha and Susan Kai.
“I granted the [detention application] on condition that the DCI permits the suspect to have access to legal advice from his advocates,” the magistrate told the Nation.
The case will be mentioned on May 26 for the investigator to submit a report and the court to issue further directions.
WHAT HAPPENED
Tecra died on Saturday in what the family termed a "tragic accident".
The Nation established that she died from head injuries sustained in a fall on the stairs of a private house in which she was staying with Mr Lali in Shella, Lamu.
It was said that Tecra, Ms Karanja's last born daughter, lost plenty of blood and was rushed to the nearby King Fahad County hospital.
After several phone calls, her mother sent a private chopper which picked her up from Manda Airport in Lamu and taken to a Nairobi hospital, where she died.
Tecra's close friends in Lamu, who did not want to be named, told the Nation that she arrived in Shella early in April.
They said she lived a lavish lifestyle, including daily drinking and chewing miraa with the boyfriend, although their relationship was rocky.
