A pastor from Jesus Is Alive Ministries told the High Court in Kibera that church staff discovered an Oppo phone belonging to Sylvia Kemunto Ayaye among the offerings on April 2, 2025. The phone was found three days after Ayaye was allegedly killed. According to the witness, the phone was kept in safe custody until police officers came looking for it. The officers informed the church that call data indicated the deceased’s phone had been within the church compound.
The testimony was part of the murder trial of Erick Mutinda Philip, who prosecutors accuse of killing Kemunto on March 30, 2025, at the university campus along Magadi Road in Lang’ata, Nairobi County. The witness said church staff handed the phone to police officers who visited as part of their investigation into Ayaye’s death. The court heard that the phone was a crucial piece of evidence in the investigation.
Silas Ochieng Elphine Otieno, who headed the university’s security department, also testified in court. He said the university received a report that Kemunto had gone missing and worked with investigators to trace her. Otieno told the court that a search team found a decomposing body in a rooftop water reservoir tank at a university hostel on April 2, 2025. Police took over the scene and identified the body as Kemunto’s.
Fellow student Neununa Mounira Namatsi described Kemunto as a close friend and classmate. She recounted trying to contact her after she went missing and described Kemunto’s relationship with Mutinda as toxic, alleging that he mistreated her. Namatsi said Kemunto had considered moving to a hostel outside the university to avoid frequent encounters with Mutinda.
Namatsi told the court that Kemunto’s mother advised her to stay at the university until she completed her studies. The court also heard testimony from Derrick Higai Luther, who shared a hostel room with Mutinda. Luther testified about their accommodation and their interactions with university security staff during the period under investigation.
Meghan Nasserian Kihara, who had previously shared a room with Kemunto, also testified in court. She told the court what she knew about the student and what she learned after the body was found. The court heard that Mutinda faces a charge of murdering Kemunto on March 30, 2025, at Multimedia University in Lang’ata Sub-County, Nairobi County.
The trial is ongoing, with the prosecution presenting its case against Mutinda. The court will continue to hear testimony from witnesses in the coming days. Key evidence in the case includes the phone found in the church offerings and the testimony from Kemunto’s friends and classmates.
Key points
- Erick Mutinda Philip is accused of murdering Multimedia University student Sylvia Kemunto Ayaye on March 30, 2025.
- A pastor testified that church staff found Kemunto’s phone among the offerings on April 2, 2025.
- The trial is ongoing, with the prosecution presenting its case against Mutinda.
