Chief Magistrate Dolphina Alego delivered a firm moral rebuke on Monday when she challenged seven university students to explain the benefits of alcohol as they appeared in court over the death of Daystar University student Lorna Kathambi Karani. The dramatic moment unfolded during their detention hearing at the Milimani Law Courts.
The seven students; Dennis Kariuki Gitonga, Louis Osiro, Lucy Mora, Ali Kabwana Kamaku, Precious Kendi Mutembei, Austin Ochieng, and Wendy Kerubo, were presented in court after police requested more time to investigate the circumstances surrounding the 23-year-old’s death.
Karani’s body was discovered on the ground floor of Harmony Plaza apartments in Ngara on November 23. The deceased is said to have spent the night in the company of the seven students, according to an affidavit filed by DCI Corporal Johnes Nyangige.
Police reports show that the group seemed intoxicated as they came into the building, where witnesses heard them singing and playing a guitar on the 12th floor.
Moments after four students temporarily left the building and returned, a loud bang echoed through the premises. A security guard later found Karani’s body with visible head injuries. Investigators also recovered several items believed to belong to her inside Gitonga’s apartment.
As the DCI sought 10 days to retrieve CCTV footage, analyze phone data, record statements, and await an autopsy report, Magistrate Alego interrupted the proceedings to address the students directly. She asked each of them what alcohol had added to their lives, given the tragic events of the night. Some students admitted alcohol offered no benefit at all, while others insisted they had not been drinking.
Alego then invited their parents to speak, who gave emotional testimonies full of disappointment, sadness, and sympathy towards the family of the deceased. She urged the students to reflect deeply on their decisions and apologize to their parents for the distress caused.
After a brief recess, the court granted police seven days to continue detaining the suspects at Parklands Police Station as investigations continue. Magistrate Alego will issue further directions after reviewing the case in chambers.
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