Mathare murder: Key witness in father's stabbing in front of son gets death threats

A key witness in a gruesome murder case in Mathare 4A has told a court that he was attacked and received death threats for volunteering to testify against the suspect.

Hilton Tyson Otieno, who agreed to be a witness in a case involving the stabbing to death of a father while walking his son to school, made these claims in court.

Andreas Otieno (alias Jebril), was arrested by Mathare police officers after allegedly threatening to kill Tyson on February 25 in Mathare.

Tyson is a key witness in the case where Andreas is considered a person of interest. It is alleged that a friend of the accused was responsible for the attack on a construction worker, who was killed on the morning of January 21.

Tyson stated that he had seen Andreas’ friends fleeing the scene that morning, their clothes stained with blood. Since the arrest of Andreas’ friend, Tyson claimed that he had been targeted by Andreas and his associates. He said Andreas had been pressuring him to withdraw as a prosecution witness in the case involving his friend, Ali.

Five days after the murder, Tyson claimed that Andreas went to his house, dismantled a water tap, and left it running. When Tyson went outside to investigate, he was shocked to find Andreas and his accomplices standing just a few metres away.

Tyson said the group told him to stop being a key witness against their friend. Andreas, armed with an axe, then struck Tyson on the head before fleeing the scene.

Tyson screamed for help, but no one came to his aid as the neighbours feared for their safety due to rising insecurity in the area. He later sought treatment at a hospital.

Andreas was subsequently arrested and arraigned. He denied the charges and pleaded for leniency, saying he had a child under his care.

State counsel Allan Mogere said the accused was a person of interest in the murder case. “Issuing death threats is an act of intimidation designed to deter the complainant from pursuing the case,” he stated.

Senior Principal Magistrate Joseph Karanja of the Makadara Law Courts, directed the investigating officer to file an affidavit regarding the threats made to the complainant. The case will be heard on February 19.