Eric Mutinda Philip, a student at Multimedia University, has once again pleaded not guilty to the murder of his alleged lover, Sylvia Kemunto also a student at the University.
Mutinda was first arraigned in April 2025 but his initial plea of June 23, 2025 was nullified after a mental examination raised concerns about his fitness to stand trial. Justice Diana Kavedza of the Kibera High Court subsequently ordered that he remain in custody until he was declared mentally fit.
On Thursday, the court heard that Mutinda had undergone a fresh mental assessment, which confirmed he was fit to face trial. He then entered a second plea of not guilty.
His lawyer, Johnstone Jnr, informed the court that he had received all the necessary documents related to the case. The prosecution indicated that at least 17 witnesses are lined up to testify, with four scheduled to take the stand when the hearing begins on January 26, 2026.
The defense team further sought a review of Mutinda’s cash bail terms, but the court declined, stating that no witnesses had yet testified.
Earlier, the court had refused to release Mutinda on bail after lawyer Danstan Omari and Shadrach Wambui, who are representing the victim’s family, strongly opposed the application
Kemunto, a first-year student pursuing mass communication and computer science, reportedly died on March 30.
The suspect told police he visited Kemunto’s room that day, knowing she would be alone. He said he had been trying to seduce her, but she resisted. A confrontation ensued when he tried to touch her, during which he hit and pushed her, causing her to hit her head on the wall and collapse. He said he realized she was dead minutes later.
He allegedly folded her body into a large suitcase, took it to his room briefly, then dumped it in a rooftop water tank.
Allegedly, Kemunto’s mother, Triza Kwamboka, began searching for her daughter on March 30 after she failed to reach her.
Concerned, she traveled from Kawangware to the university and found Kemunto missing.
The college confirmed her absence, and a report was filed at Lang’ata Police Station.
Kwamboka told police her daughter had previously complained about a fellow student making unwanted advances.
Preliminary investigations confirmed that Kemunto was killed in her room, and her body dragged to the rooftop.
The killer then tied the tank with a wire and placed a stone on it to avoid detection.
Her roommate told police she had left for church that day, leaving Kemunto alone. Witnesses later saw the suspect dragging a suitcase from Kemunto’s room to his own in a different block. That night, the suspect’s roommate noticed the suitcase in their room, but it was gone the following morning.
“The next morning, I woke up around 8 and noticed that both the guy and the suitcase were gone,” the roommate said.
Police traced Kemunto’s phone signal to within the university compound. It was later switched off near Ongata Rongai, prompting a campus-wide search.
On April 2, a foul smell led the search team to Block E of the University, Kemunto’s decomposing body was discovered in a water tank on the rooftop
