Syombua, children buried as court blocks Major Mugures release

Joyce Syombua and her two children; Shanice Maua and Prince Michael, were buried on Saturday in Kyaithani village, Kitui.

Emotions run high as family and friends broke down, unable to control the pain of losing their loved ones.

One speaker after the other took to the podium, all calling for justice for their murdered kin.

“Ile ilifanyiwa Syombua na watoto wake ni unyama…tungeliomba serikali iharakishe ifanye upelezi, uchunguzi wake mpaka hii familia ya Syombua ipate haki inayostahili,” Denis Kiliki, the family spokesman said.

“Tutarajia serikali itafanya vile inavyotakikana…hii ni mambo iko kortini…korti itaamua…yetu ni kumuombea tu…aone mwangaza…yule ambaye alifanya hivyo….aone alilofanya na atubu,” Gregory Mutua added.

Meanwhile, Major Peter Mugure, the main suspect in the murder case, will remain in custody at King’ong’o Maximum Prison.

This was after State Counsel Peter Maranyi urged that he be remanded for a week.

On Friday, the Prosecution told the court that Mugure is yet to undergo mental assessment.

It had been scheduled to take place at Nanyuki General Hospital.

Maranyi insisted that the suspect cannot be released even as lawyer Cliff Ombeta argued that his client’s constitutional rights were being violated.

However, Nyeri High Court Judge Justice Jarus Ngaa said there was no compelling reason to deny the Prosecution’s request.

The judge deferred his plea taking for two weeks and ordered that Mugure be taken for a psychiatric test at the Nyeri Referral Hospital.

The new date for plea taking is December 17.

Major Mugure is accused of killing his estranged partner Syombua and their two children.

The bodies of the deceased were discovered on November 16 buried in a shallow grave at Thingithu Estate in Nanyuki.

This was three weeks after they were reported missing: they had left their home in Nairobi to go visit Major Mugure at the Laikipia Army Airbase.

That was the last time they were seen alive.

Postmortem results showed that Ms Syombua died as a result of multiple blows to the head while her two children were strangled.

Report by Samuel Mbogo and Shadrack Ilava