Former Harambee Stars and Gor Mahia midfielder Collins Okoth Ougo, known as Gattuso, will next week face murder charges in the High Court in Nairobi. Gattuso, along with his co-accused Sylvia Aoko, appeared before Justice Alexander Muteti on Tuesday but did not enter a plea due to the pending report on their mental assessment.
The prosecution confirmed that the medical assessments of the suspects have been completed and the reports are now ready. The court has instructed that these reports be filed before the plea-taking session, scheduled for September 11.
Gattuso and Aoko are accused of the murder of a three-year-old girl in Lucky Summer Estate, Nairobi, in April. Since then, Gattuso has remained in police custody as the investigation into the case continues.
Last month, the court had postponed the plea-taking to allow additional time for DNA testing related to the case. On Tuesday, investigating officer Gilbert Rotich addressed claims that he had refused to release a mobile phone and money seized from Gattuso during his arrest on May 10. Rotich clarified that the items—a Samsung phone, a wallet, and several identification cards—had been documented in an inventory and were to be returned to the suspect or his legal representatives.
Justice Muteti directed that the phone be returned to Gattuso or his attorneys and advised Gattuso to file a formal complaint with the Independent Policing Oversight Authority if he had issues with the police handling of his case.
Gattuso will remain in Nairobi remand, while Sylvia Aoko is detained at Lang’ata Women’s Prison until their next court appearance.