Court directs reassessment after student accused of girlfriend’s murder is declared unfit to stand trial
A student from Multimedia University (MMU) charged with the murder of fellow student Sylvia Kemunto was declared unfit to stand trial.
This follows a mental assessment conducted at Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital. Eric Mutinda Philip, the accused, is said to be mentally unstable, according to a medical report filed at the court.
The report indicated that Mutinda, who appeared unaccompanied by a relative for corroborative history, denied involvement in the offence but acknowledged being charged with the murder.
The psychiatrist noted that he was fairly groomed and cooperative with difficulty, but his speech was low in tone and pitch, and his history was considered unreliable.
“He is not fit to plead and recommended further corroborative history from his next of kin to complete the evaluation,” the examining doctor concluded.
Despite this report, during Monday’s court mention, the judge directed the Prisons Department to take Mutinda back to Mathari Hospital for a re-evaluation and that he be accompanied by a relative.
Mutinda had earlier pleaded not guilty before undergoing the mental assessment. It was after this plea that the court ordered a psychiatric evaluation.
The court is expected to receive the updated mental report before deciding on how the case will proceed. Mutinda, a first-year electrical engineering student at MMU was behind the murder of Kemunto whose body was discovered on April 2 in a water tank at the rooftop of a hostel within the institution’s compound.
Kemunto, a first-year mass communications and computer science major, disappeared under mysterious circumstances on March 30 before her decomposing body was discovered in a water tank at the institution.
The case will be mentioned on Friday, June 27.
Erick is accused of murdering Sylvia Kemunto on March 30, 2025 at the Multimedia University of Kenya, along Magadi Road in Karen, Lang’ata Sub-County.
The two were previously in an alleged intimate relationship, which reportedly ended in February 2025. It is alleged that Mutinda visited Sylvia in her hostel room to discuss their breakup.
During this encounter, he is said to have strangled her manually, placed her body in a green suitcase, and transported it to his hostel room.
The body was later discovered in a half-filled water reservoir on the rooftop of the building where the accused resided.
A post-mortem report confirmed the cause of death as asphyxia due to ligature strangulation, as well as head injuries resulting from blunt force trauma.
The prosecution has indicated it will rely on 19 witnesses to prove its case.