Why Multimedia University Student Accused Of Killing Girlfriend Is Unfit For Trial
According to a medical report filed under Criminal Case No: E004 of 2025, the suspect, Eric Mutinda Philip, was diagnosed as mentally unstable.
Marvin Chege 
A student from Multimedia University (MMU) accused of killing fellow student Sylvia Kemunto has been declared mentally unfit to stand trial, following a psychiatric evaluation at Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital.
According to a medical report filed under Criminal Case No: E004 of 2025, the suspect, Eric Mutinda Philip, was diagnosed as mentally unstable.
The report notes that Mutinda, who showed up without any family member to provide background information, denied committing the crime but admitted he was facing murder charges.
The psychiatrist observed that while Mutinda was moderately well-groomed and somewhat cooperative, he spoke in a low tone and pitch, and his account of events was deemed unreliable.
Photo of murdered Multimedia University (MMU) student Sylvia Kemunto. /CITIZEN TV
"He is not fit to plead and recommended further corroborative history from his next of kin to complete the evaluation,” the examining doctor concluded.
Despite the findings in the initial report, the judge ordered during Monday’s court mention that the Prisons Department return Mutinda to Mathari Hospital for a second mental evaluation, this time accompanied by a relative.
Mutinda had initially pleaded not guilty before the mental assessment was conducted, prompting the court to request a psychiatric evaluation. The court is now awaiting the updated mental report before determining the next steps in the case.
Mutinda, a first-year Electrical Engineering student at MMU, is suspected of being responsible for Kemunto’s death. Her body was found on Wednesday, April 2 inside a water tank on the rooftop of a hostel within the university compound.
Nairobi Police Commander George Sedah stated that the suspect turned himself in at the Sultan Hamud police station in Makueni on Thursday night, April 3, after being connected to the murder of Kemunto. He had been evading capture for the past week, when he allegedly killed Kemunto and later disposed of her body in a water tank at the university just hours after the murder.
Kemunto, a First-Year Mass Communications and Computer Science student, had gone missing under unclear circumstances on Sunday, March 30, 2025.
Her mother, Triza Kwamboka, had sent her upkeep money using a church elder’s phone number. However, when she attempted to contact her daughter to confirm the transaction, her calls went unanswered. Concerned, Kwamboka traveled to the university, only to find out that her daughter was missing.
She then reported the disappearance to Lang’ata Police Station after the school administration confirmed that Sylvia was unaccounted for.
Additionally, Sylvia had previously mentioned to her mother that another student had been making unwanted advances toward her.
