UPDATE FROM MERU HIGH COURT WHERE PATRICK NAWEET IS STANDING TRIAL FOR THE MURDER OF WOMAN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER ELIZABETH EKARU

The Meru High Court on 19 September 2023 heard from two witnesses, a detective and government chemist, on their findings regarding the murder of woman human rights defender Elizabeth Ekaru.

During the hearing, Government Chemist Benard Kipng’etich told Justice Edward Murithi, the High Court Judge in Meru, that the DNA tests conducted on the samples provided linked Patrick Naweet to the murder.

Additionally, the investigating officer Mr Kubai Mungania’s testimony indicated that the probe by sleuths squarely placed the suspect at the centre of the Elizabeth’s murder.

Mr. Kipng’etich and Mungania were the tenth and eleventh prosecution witnesses brought before the court by the prosecution.

In a narration that seemed like a scene from a Hollywood movie and a meditated act, Mungania testimony told the court that the victim was walking home, after attending a burial, when Naweet attacked Elizabeth with a dagger. He said their investigations had established that the suspect lured the deceased to a piece of land they had been fighting for where he stabbed her to death.

“I was able to establish that the victim had attended a burial on the fateful day. While walking home in the company of her niece, a minor, the accused called Elizabeth. They walked together towards a disputed land,” Mungania said.

He said Ms Ekaru asked the young girl to go away as they spoke. However, after walking a distance of 50 metres, the girl heard Ekaru scream for help.

“The niece rushed back to the scene. She saw the suspect holding the weapon (a dagger) with blood on it. The deceased was lying down soaked in blood,” Mungania said.

The court heard that members of the community who were coming from the same burial as Elizabeth responded to Ekaru’s cry for help and caught up with Naweet, who attempted to run away with the murder weapon in his hand.

After they caught him, the mob stoned Naweet to avenge Ekaru’s death. Naweet was however rescued by the police and taken into custody.

The Justice Murithi set October 12 date for submissions.

Defenders Coalition is pursuing justice for Elizabeth, a WHRD who was murdered in a gruesome manner on 3 January 2022.

Defenders Coalition has been supporting the legal representative in this matter as well as Human Rights Defenders from Isiolo and Laikipia to attend the court proceedings.

Defenders Coalition is keen to ensure that justice is served and the case be a pioneer jurisprudence in the administration of justice on matters safety and security for human rights defenders.

Cases such as the murder of environmental defender Joanna Stutchbury, Caroline Mwatha and Esther Mwikali remain unresolved.