Lawrence Warunge denies murdering his Kiambu family members

University student Lawrence Warunge has pleaded not guilty to five counts of murder in the case in which he is accused of killing his parents, brother, cousin and farm hand at their Kiambu family home.

Appearing virtually before Justice Mary Kasanga at the Kiambu law court, Warunge denied murdering his mother, father, younger brother, cousin as well as their farm help at Karura area in Kiambaa on the night of January 5 and 6.

Justice Kasanga has ordered that he be remanded at the Nairobi Industrial Area Remand Prison until May 11 when a pre-trial session is expected to be held.

He took plea a day after the 22-year-old student was finally declared mentally fit to stand trial by the Mathari hospital after a mental assessment was ordered by the court in January after he was initially declared unfit to stand trial.

Warunge’s girlfriend, Sarah Muthoni, who had previously been presented in court as the second accused, is set to be a State witness in the murder case.

A police report said Warunge had reportedly admitted to first killing farm hand James Kinyanjui, metres from the main house then his mother Anne Wanjiku in the kitchen followed by his 12-year-old brother Christian Njenga, who heard cries from his mother and went to establish what was going on.

Police said he then confessed that he then descended on his father Nicholas Warunge, who had jumped from the balcony, then concluded his murderous mission with his cousin Maxwell Njenga, who had hidden under the bed.