Written by Were Kelly
Nyeri, Kenya – June 10, 2025 — A Nyeri court has granted police two additional days to conduct a mental assessment on Nicholas Julius Macharia, the prime suspect accused of defiling and murdering seven-year-old Tamara Blessing.
The order was issued by Senior Principal Magistrate Faith Munyi following a request by state prosecutor Dismas Lang’at, who told the court that investigators required more time to obtain a comprehensive mental health evaluation of the suspect.
Lang’at informed the court that while a cautionary statement had already been recorded from Macharia, a mental evaluation had not yet been carried out—a critical step in the ongoing investigation.
“The Investigating Officers are yet to conduct a mental assessment. For that, they require an order from this court.
We are therefore requesting two additional days to complete the procedure,” Lang’at submitted.
The prosecution also revealed that CCTV footage from a nearby shop along the path leading to the suspect’s residence in the Kiawara slums—where Tamara’s body was discovered buried—has been forwarded to the Digital Forensic department for analysis.
The magistrate, noting the progress made by the investigators, granted the request and directed that Macharia, who appeared in court virtually, be taken to the Nyeri County Referral Hospital for a mental evaluation.
“The Investigating Officer is granted two more days to complete investigations. The respondent shall be escorted to the County Referral Hospital for mental status assessment and report,” ruled Magistrate Munyi.
Macharia was first arraigned in court on May 27, following the shocking discovery of Tamara’s body in his home on May 26.
The court had initially allowed police to detain him for 14 days as investigations continued.The case is scheduled to return to court on Thursday, June 12, for further directions.
