The case against the prime suspect in the gruesome killing of five people in Kiambu County failed to kick off Monday, with a court allowing time for a mental assessment.
Lawrence Njoroge Warunge is accused of killing his four family members and a farmhand in Kiambaa on January 5.
The case was not mentioned as expected at the Kiambu Law Courts after the prosecution sought an extra day to allow Lawrence to undergo the examination.
The 22-year-old was to be examined at Mathari hospital on Monday.
Lawrence and his co-accused have been in custody for 14 days since police sought more time to conclude the investigation.
The IT student at privately-owned Mount Kenya University has already owned up to killing members of his family and their worker.
The victims are his father Nicholas Njoroge Warunge, his mother Ann Wanjiku, their adopted nephew Maxwell Njenga, his brother Christian Njenga Njoroge and farmhand James Kinyajui Wambaa.
Causes of death
Chief Government Pathologist Johansen Oduor said all the five died from multiple stab wounds highly likely inflicted by the same person.
Mr Oduor said the victims suffered similar injuries – multiple stab wounds to the chest and multiple cases of blunt force trauma to the head.
The four family members were buried in a mass grave last week.
Lawrence’s two sisters escaped death given they had reported back to school the previous day.
Lawrence is being held at Gigiri Police Station while his girlfriend Sarah Muthoni, also a suspect in the case, is being held at Muthaiga Police Station.
At the Kiambu court on Monday, Ms Muthoni’s mother wept as her daughter sat in the dock.
She told the Nation that she learnt through neighbours that her daughter had been implicated in the case.
A relative asked her to discontinue the interview with the media.