On Tuesday, Pastor David Wagiita of the First Pentecostal Church in Nanyuki appeared before Resident Judge Anthony Ndung’u in the High Court to face charges related to the murder of Ruth Gathoni.
However, the clergyman refrained from entering a plea regarding the recent discovery of the remains of the deceased.
Ruth Gathoni was reported missing on August 18, 2018, with her family informing detectives that she was last seen with Pastor Wagiita in Nyeri Town, boarding a matatu bound for Nanyuki.
Following her disappearance, Wagiita was initially arrested and charged with abduction. Nevertheless, he was subsequently acquitted by the court due to a lack of evidence.
In response, the family initiated an extensive search for their missing relative. The search concluded on September 30 of the previous year when construction workers at Muthaiga Estate in Nanyuki Town uncovered a human skull in a shallow grave.
The workers, digging a trench for a perimeter wall, also discovered hair believed to belong to a woman. This finding occurred in the same compound where Gathoni and the pastor reportedly spent a night before she was reported missing. Detectives visited the scene, conducted further excavation, and confirmed through DNA testing earlier this month that the remains belonged to the missing woman.
On January 9 of this year, Gathoni was finally laid to rest in a respectful burial ceremony at Unjiru village, Tetu Sub-county in Nyeri County.
During the court hearing, the prosecution requested a postponement of the plea-taking to allow the State to assign a lawyer for the defendant.
Justice Ndung’u directed that the accused be brought before him on February 21 of this year to formally face charges of murder.
