The long-drawn criminal case surrounding the attempted assassination of former Garissa County finance executive Idris Mukhtar, who has been in a coma for six years, is set to resume on December 17 at the Milimani Law Courts. Businessman Mohamud Hussein Aden and Juliet Charity Njoki have denied charges of attempting to kill Mukhtar on May 19, 2018, at a popular restaurant in Nairobi’s Kileleshwa area. They also face a separate count of conspiring to murder Nairobi lawyer Charles Kanjama between July and September the same year.
The case, which was scheduled for a three-day hearing before Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina, stalled last week after prosecution witnesses failed to turn up. Prosecutors sought an adjournment, noting that the victim himself cannot testify since he remains in a vegetative state. Mukhtar was shot in the head outside White Star Restaurant along Kandara Road and rushed to the ICU of a Nairobi hospital before later being airlifted to India for specialized care. His family says he has remained unresponsive ever since, with police unable to record any statement from him.
The assassination plot has been marred by twists and controversy. The prime suspect, 27-year-old David Mwai, allegedly committed suicide in a Parklands police cell shortly after reportedly recording a confession detailing how he had been hired as the hitman. Investigators said Mwai revealed that the initial plan was to kidnap and poison Mukhtar with hydrogen peroxide, but after several failed attempts, he was ordered to “shoot to kill.” He was allegedly promised Sh500,000 for the job.
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