John Matara on Thursday took the witness stand and told the court that socialite Starlet Wahu stabbed him repeatedly during a confrontation over money, leaving him bleeding heavily as he struggled to escape from a South B apartment.
Matara, who is facing a murder charge over Wahu’s death, said he met her online in 2023 and their relationship developed through a series of paid sexual encounters.
He said their first meeting was at Sankara Hotel in Westlands, where he paid Sh35,000. During a second encounter in December, he paid Sh20,000, leaving an outstanding Sh15,000.
The two agreed to meet again on January 3, 2024, with Wahu asking him to settle the outstanding amount and book an Airbnb with a balcony.
Matara said he secured an apartment at Papino Apartments in South B and later met Wahu there after she arrived in an Uber.
They bought a bottle of whisky from a nearby shop and returned to the apartment, where they drank, listened to music and later had sex.
Matara said the mood changed after the encounter when Wahu demanded Sh50,000, comprising the Sh15,000 balance from their previous meeting and Sh35,000 for the latest encounter.
He said he sent her Sh20,000 through M-Pesa and promised to clear the remaining Sh30,000 the following morning after receiving money from an app development project.
His attempt to borrow the balance from his sister failed, Matara said, after which Wahu became angry and allegedly threatened him over the unpaid money.
He said the situation later appeared to calm down before he went to the bathroom.
When he returned, Matara said, he found Wahu near the bed and approached her.
He told the court that she pushed him onto the bed and, with his eyes closed, he initially thought they were about to resume their sexual encounter.
“Suddenly I felt multiple sharp pains on my thighs,” Matara said.
He said he then realised Wahu was armed with a knife and was stabbing him repeatedly. Matara said he rolled away from her and eventually fell to the floor, hitting his head in the process.
He said Wahu continued attacking him as he lay on the floor, forcing him to raise his arms to protect himself. At one point, he said, he attempted to grab the knife by its blade but it was pulled through his hands, leaving him with cuts on his palms.
“I was bleeding profusely at that moment. There was blood spilling all over. I was confused, I was in great fear and panic and I really didn’t know what to do,” he told the court.
Matara said he eventually managed to get behind Wahu and escaped into the living room, where she allegedly chased him around a table.
He said both eventually stopped on opposite sides of the table, exhausted, while Wahu continued shouting and hurling insults.
Matara said he tried to call for help but the loud music inside the apartment drowned out his cries.
He eventually saw an opportunity to escape after Wahu fell, he said.
By then, blood was spread across the living room and Matara said he was covered in blood.
He grabbed his clothes, shoes, phone and a towel before heading for the exit.
“I picked the towel because at that moment I was bleeding profusely. I was trying to arrest the bleeding,” he said.
Matara said he managed to leave the apartment despite Wahu allegedly attempting to stop him.
He dressed outside the room and headed towards the fourth-floor lift but said it delayed, forcing him to lean against the rails because the injuries to his thighs made it difficult to walk.
He later made his way towards the third floor and eventually entered a lift, where several people were shocked by his blood-soaked appearance.
Matara said he told them he had been stabbed and was advised to report the matter to security.
However, he said he was becoming increasingly weak and dizzy and left the building after finding nobody at the security office.
He made his way to Stage C and tried to stop passing vehicles and boda bodas.
After several riders declined to assist him, two eventually stopped and took him to a nearby medical facility.
Matara said he collapsed at the entrance and was taken into the emergency unit, where he received first aid before being transferred to Mbagathi Hospital.
At Mbagathi, he said, he informed medics that he had been stabbed by a woman he considered his girlfriend or sex partner.
He was later approached by police officers who searched his phone and eventually handcuffed him.
Matara said the officers told him he was under arrest because he was a murder suspect.
He said he was shocked because he believed he had left Wahu alive.
“I left the deceased alive. I did not injure or harm the deceased at any moment,” he said.
Matara further denied ever handling the knife or attacking Wahu, arguing that forensic examination could have helped establish what happened.
“I did not at any moment on that fateful night handle that knife. I did not stab the deceased,” he said.
He also questioned why investigators did not dust the knife and an alleged padlock for fingerprints, saying the evidence could have helped exonerate him.
Matara said he was defenceless, confused and intoxicated during the confrontation and that everything happened quickly. He told the court that he escaped the apartment by sheer luck and remains shocked that Wahu died after he fled.
“I am still shocked that Starlet passed away,” he said.
The defence hearing will resume on December 16, when Matara is expected to return to the witness stand for cross-examination by the prosecution.
