Four more witnesses took the stand on Wednesday, October 1 at the High Court in Milimani, Nairobi, as the murder trial of John Matara Ong’oa entered another day of proceedings.
Matara is accused of the brutal murder of socialite Starlet Wahu on the night of 3rd January 2024, at Papino Apartments in South B, Nairobi.
Prosecution, led by Della Wilbey, Sarah Ogweno, and Peris Maina, presented testimony from a clinical officer, a police forensic analyst, and two security guards; witnesses who provided critical insight into the events surrounding the death of Wahu.
First to testify was Isaiah Omondi Olang, a Clinical Officer at South B Hospital, who recounted how he attended to an emergency case involving a male patient around 11:00 p.m. that night. The patient, whom he later identified in court as the accused (Matara), had sustained two stab wounds; one on the right thigh and another on the right hand, and appeared intoxicated.
Olang said that together with three other medical personnel, they administered first aid to stop the bleeding and gave him painkillers.
Consequently, Olang says he also issued a referral letter to Mbagathi Hospital at the request of the patient for further management. According to Olang, the accused remained at South B Hospital for under two hours.
Next on the stand was Police Constable Elizabeth Njuguna, a forensic video analyst, who described how she received a memo from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on January 9, 2024, requesting the analysis of CCTV footage contained in a flash disk.
The footage comprised nine video clips. Njuguna told the court that after reviewing the material, she prepared 23 still photographs dated 23rd January 2024, all of which she produced in court. She confirmed that the footage played in chronological order with no evidence of tampering.
The videos captured a man and woman entering Papino Apartments on the evening of 3rd January 2024. The man was seen wearing a black cap, bluish long-sleeved shirt, brown trousers, and carrying a red bag.
Later, at 10:09 p.m., the footage showed the same man alone in the corridor, this time with a white cloth around his neck. He briefly waited at the lift, then used the staircase to the third floor before taking the lift to the ground floor. A stain, suspected to be blood, was visible on his leg. He exited the main entrance at 10:11 p.m.
Despite providing detailed scene analysis, Njuguna told the court she could not positively identify the man, as his face was not clearly visible in any of the footage.
The final two witnesses, security guards Joseph Ndungi and George Gitau, were stationed at Solace Park Apartments and Papino Apartments respectively. Ndungi told the court that he saw a suspicious man leaving Papino Apartments that night. The man wore blue t-shirt, white towel, and khaki trousers, and Ndungi noticed what appeared to be bloodstains on his legs.
Concerned, Ndungi reached out to Gitau to confirm if he had seen the man leave the building, which he had not. The two then reviewed CCTV footage and noticed the man had exited from the fourth floor.
Following a trail of blood, they ascended to the fourth floor where they found blood leading to door number Y32, which was locked. Gitau contacted the apartment owner, Florence, who arrived with a spare key. Upon entering, they discovered the lifeless body of a naked woman lying on the floor. Bloodstains were visible from the bedroom to the sitting room, and the body had visible injuries to the neck.
Ndungi later confirmed in court that the man seen in the footage was the same person present in court, John Matara.
Gitau corroborated Ndungi’s account and added that he had not witnessed the man’s exit as he had gone to check on water tanks at the time.
The hearing was adjourned to 2nd October 2025, when three more witnesses are expected to testify.
