Mary Charo Mbita, one of 94 suspects linked to the Paul Mackenzie Shakahola massacre, has died in prison.
She was among 40 women and 55 men charged with 238 counts of manslaughter.
“The accused, Mary Charo, is deceased. The court is requested to mark her case as abated and withdrawn. An inquest has been opened to determine the cause of her death, and the findings will be shared with the court,” Yamina told the court.
Defence counsel, Lawrence Obonyo, did not oppose the prosecution’s request to withdraw the charges against Charo.
“We were already informed about her death, and we have no objection to marking the case as abated,” Obonyo said.
Charo becomes the second suspect in Mackenzie’s case to die in prison.
Last year June, Joseph Juma Buyuka, another suspect, died at Malindi GK Prison after participating in a 10-day hunger strike.
The prosecution attributed his death to complications from starvation.
On Monday, the Mombasa Magistrate Court began hearing witness testimonies in the manslaughter case against Mackenzie and the 94 other suspects.
The Director of Public Prosecution has prepared 422 witnesses, with five scheduled to testify this week.
The first witness, whose identity is protected, testified in a closed session on Monday.
The hearing continues on Tuesday, August 13.
