The Nairobi High Court has ordered Police Constable Klinzy Masinde Barasa, attached to Kayole Police Station, to undergo a mental assessment.

Issuing the directive on July 10, 2025, Justice Kanyi Kimondo stated that Klinzy should undergo the test before being charged with the murder of mask hawker Boniface Kariuki Mwangi.

The Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), through Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Gikui Gichui, is charging Klinzy with murder contrary to Section 203 as read with Section 204 of the Penal Code.

According to the DPP, on June 17, 2025, outside Imenti House in Nairobi Central Business District (CBD), during protests, Klinzy murdered Kariuki.

However, Justice Kimondo stated that the constable has not commented on the DPP’s information or pleaded to the charge and that he can only do so after he is examined by a psychiatrist.

The court directed the constable to be escorted to Mbagathi District Hospital or any other available government hospital for the assessment to determine whether his mental capacity is fit to plead to the information in charge.

“You shall be escorted to Mbagathi District Hospital or Kenyatta National Hospital or indeed any other convenient government facility for mental assessment,” Justice Kimondo directed.

Further, the judge ordered the officer to be moved from the Capitol Hill Police Station custody and be remanded at the Nairobi Remand for the next 14 days.

Meanwhile, Constable Duncan Kiprono, attached to Kileleshwa Police Station, who was together with Klinzy on the day the mask hawker was shot, has been released.

This is after the DPP did not find anything they could charge him for in connection with the fatal shooting of the mask hawker.

On June 19, 2025, the two, through a miscellaneous application, were arraigned at the Milimani Magistrate Court by the DPP, who sought to detain them for 21 days to enable the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to complete investigations.

However, DPP through Principal Prosecution Counsel Victor Owiti informed the court that they had reached an agreement with the respondents’ lawyers to detain the two for 15 days.

On July 3, 2025, they were back in court with the DPP urging court for an extension of seven more days, citing that the ongoing investigations by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) are still not complete.

Milimani Principal Magistrate Benmark Ekhubi granted the extension and directed the matter to be mentioned on July 10, 2025.

Justice Kimondo has scheduled the plea taking for July 28, 2025, in open court at 11am.