The High Court at Mombasa on Wednesday was thrown into stunned silence after a 22-year-old mnazi tapper charged with the murder of a 17-year-old girl dramatically sought a plea bargain, halting a trial that had begun to unravel chilling details of the killing.
The accused, Lewis Kazungu Charo, is facing murder charges over the death of Farida Changawa Julius, who was killed on the night of June 6, 2025, at Mferejini Village in Kijipwa, Kilifi South.
Three prosecution witnesses had painted a vivid picture of the incident with the court hearing hat the knife linked to the killing was one the accused allegedly used daily in harvesting mnazi from coconut trees at the deceased’s family homestead.
Evidence before Lady Justice Wendy Micheni showed that Charo had been working at the family’s farm for six months before the incident.
The prosecution witnesses also revealed that the accused and the deceased were romantically involved a disclosure that cast the case in an even darker light and deepened suspicion over his motive.
The court on Wednesday heard testimony of the third prosecution witness, the deceased’s grandfather Tinga Mwachiro Kiti, who gave a painful account of identifying his granddaughter’s body at Kilifi Sub-County Hospital.
He told Justice Micheni he was joined by Susan Tabuu, the girl’s aunt, for the post-mortem conducted on June 12, six days after the killing, and that he identified Farida by her facial features.
Kiti said he had been away from home on the night of the killing and only returned the following day to find his village engulfed in grief.
But just as the prosecution pressed on, the trial took a dramatic twist.
Prosecutors Ngiri Wangui and Frank Sirima informed the court that the defence had approached the State seeking a plea bargain.
In a letter , Charo told the court that he wished to enter into an agreement to bring the case to a swift conclusion.
“We believe that a plea-bargaining agreement would serve the interests of justice, spare the court and all parties a lengthy trial, and contribute positively to rehabilitation and resolution,” he stated.
The family’s lawyer, Duncan Osoro, told the court that the victim’s relatives must be consulted before any agreement could be reached.
Justice Micheni adjourned the scheduled hearings to allow the prosecution and the family’s lawyers to explain the implications of the plea bargain to the bereaved relatives.
The judge ordered that consultations be completed within 14 days, saying the matter must be handled without delay.
The case will be mentioned on December 18 for further directions.
