Asad Khan murder: Maxine Wahome pleads not guilty
Maxine Wahome, girlfriend of murdered rally driver Asad Khan, at the Milimani Law Courts on March 7, 2023.
What you need to know:
- She gave Omari two days to respond to the application for bail, while Murgor applied to be given all evidence.
- Court has directed all statements be given to accused and set the bail application to be heard on March 21 2023.
Rally driver Maxine Wahome was Wednesday charged with the murder of her boyfriend Asad Khan.
Wahome, 25, who appeared via a video link before Justice Lilian Mutende, denied the charge from Kilimani Police Station where she has been detained since March 7.
She will be remanded at the Langata Women's Prison until her bail application hearing on March 21, 2023.
Wahome is accused of attacking her 50-year-old boyfriend and fellow rally driver Asad Khan at their apartment in December last year.
Khan succumbed to injuries on his right ankle after a week in hospital.
"I am not guilty," she told the court.
Wahome won acclaim when she became the first Kenyan woman to win the third-tier WRC Safari Rally last year. Last week, she was dropped from the WRC Young Rally Stars programme.
Justice Mutende ordered for a pre-bail report from Khan's family to enable her rule on the bail application.
But Maxine's lawyers led by Senior Counsel Phillip Murgor, Steve Kimathi, Sigh Gitau and Andrew Musangi sought to have her bail application heard urgently as she has been in custody since March 7.
"There is no need to delay this matter further and we should now admit her to bail and we hope the trial can start tomorrow ( Thursday, March 16)," Lawyer Murgor informed the court.
Murgor applied to be furnished with all the material evidence in the murder case by the Prosecution.
Khan family lawyers Danstan Omari, Cliff Ombeta and Shadrack Wambui informed the court they are yet to be served with the bail application by Maxine and urged the court to order the defence lawyers to serve them so as to respond.
Omari urged the court to order probation officers to conduct a pre-bail report and the same be filed in court before the bail application can be heard.
Justice Mutende ordered that a pre-bail report be filed in court before Tuesday next week.
The judge further ordered Maxine to serve Khan's family lawyers with her bail application.
Khan's family lawyers were however ordered to respond to the bail application within two days. In her bail application, Maxine argued that she is not a flight risk.
She has asked the court to invoke its inherent jurisdiction and the requirements of Article 49(1)(b) of the Constitution to free her on bond pending trial.
"The Court is pleased to release the accused on reasonable bond terms pending the hearing and determination of this matter, "says lawyer Kimathi.
Wahome has also filed an affidavit claiming she is innocent and detailing the events on the fateful night.
She said Khan hurt himself after kicking a door to a balcony where she had sought refuge after a fight with him.
"The deceased thereafter injured himself on the balcony window panes and took himself to hospital," she said.
