A boundary row is to blame for the death of a man, a Nakuru court has heard.
Testifying before Justice Maureen Odero on Wednesday in a case where John Njeru Gituku has been charged with the murder of John Kigunda, a neighbour to the two people stated that a contested boundary could have led to the death of the deceased.
James Wahome told the court that the boundary had for long been a bone of contention and could have fuelled animosity.
“The accused and the deceased are both my neighbours and for long they had always claimed the boundary section. It could have prompted the death of the deceased,” he said.
Wahome, who refused to directly link the accused to the murder, however claimed that he heard five gunshot sounds and on rushing to the scene saw the deceased lying down while the accused was walking away from the scene.
“I heard about five gunshot sounds and upon moving closer saw the body of the deceased lying within the contested boundary that was marked by a barbed wire on either sides. When I moved closer to the deceased I saw that he was gasping for breath,” he said.
“However, on his third attempt he stopped. I managed to see a gaping hole on his head that had been inflicted by a panga and on the other end I saw the accused moving away towards his farm,” he added.
He averred that that is when he raised the alarm and a crowd of people emerged.
He said the police later arrived and took away the body and that is when he saw that the deceased had gunshot wounds on the chest and ribs sides.
He further claimed that the crowd that had since linked the accused to the murder set his house and tractor on fire.
The elderly Gituku is alleged to have committed the offence August 1, 2014 at Naitura village Laikipia west.
The hearing will proceed on January 14, 2016.