Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

The main suspect in the murder of Kilifi county Chief Officer for Blue Economy Rahab Karisa told the court yesterday that she killed the deceased following a dispute over delayed pay.

Diana Naliaka alias Sarah Nekesa Barasa told Kilifi Senior Principal Magistrate Justus Kituku that she did not intend to kill the mother of two, adding that they quarrelled after her salary was delayed.

“I never wanted to kill her. We differed after I asked her about my salary which had not been paid. I had no motive of killing her,” said the suspect, who was unrepresented.

But she was cut short by the magistrate, who told her that she was making the confession at the wrong time.

“I only wanted to enquire from you if you are aware of the reasons why police are asking for more days to hold you,” posed the magistrate.

The investigating officer in the case, Harrison Mayaka had sought the court’s permission to detain the suspect for fourteen days in order to complete investigations into the murder.

In a sworn affidavit, Mayaka described the suspect as a dangerous individual and a flight risk, saying she had travelled for over 800 kilometres while evading a police dragnet until she was arrested in Bungoma county as she planned to sneak into neighbouring Uganda.

“I pray to remand the suspect for 14 days at Kilifi police station or any other police station within Kilifi county to enable police complete investigations in line with the provisions of Article 49 (g) of the constitution,” he said.

He added that the suspect was yet to record statements with police and they were apprehensive that if released on bail, she would interfere with witnesses.

“Detectives are yet to grill the suspect following her arrival in the area where the crime is alleged to have occurred, we are also yet to record statements from key witnesses who were threatened by the suspect before she fled,” said the officer.

Kituku allowed the application to have the suspect detained by police to allow police complete investigations.

“The respondent will be detained for fourteen days, I’ve been informed of the reasons for her continued detention,” said the magistrate.

In the affidavit, Mayaka detailed how the suspect, who was arrested as she tried to sneak into the neighbouring country to evade arrest acted as if everything was normal moments after murdering Karisa for fear of raising eyebrows among neighbours. He revealed that the suspect, for instance, removed the deceased’s two-year-old son from the bedroom where she had just murdered the chief officer and tied her on her back to stop him from crying after witnessing his mother’s killing.

According to the affidavit, the suspect pretended that everything was fine by soothing the toddler to prevent him from crying which would have attracted the curiosity of neighbours

“She carried the minor who at the time was in distress after witnessing the murder of his mother on her back to sooth him to sleep and stop his crying which would have attracted the attention of the neighbours, this act gave her an opportunity to flee the scene of crime,” Mayaka stated.

Karisa was found murdered at her Kilifi home on July 17 a day after she returned to the country from a working trip in Italy.

Her body was removed from the Pandya Memorial Hospital, Mombasa yesterday for a requiem mass at her parents’ home in Kaloleni, Kilifi county before being ferried to her matrimonial home in Nandi county for burial tomorrow.
She leaves behind a widower and two children.
The matter will be mentioned on August 17.