The estranged husband of Australian teacher Gabrielle Maina has been arrested after she was shot dead in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi last Thursday.
Ms Maina’s husband Cyrus Bernard Maina Njuguna, and his cousin, John Njuguna Waithira, have been arrested over the shooting in the exclusive suburb of Karen.
The men appeared in a Nairobi court on Tuesday seeking their release from custody. Kenyan police requested they be detained for seven working days in order to gather evidence.
A lawyer representing the men said they were innocent and were not at the scene of the shooting, ABC reports.
“There is evidence that is capable of corroboration by many people, as many as 10, that Cyrus was in his office at the time that the murder took place. Therefore, there is no way he can be placed at the scene,” lawyer Wilfred Nderitu said.
The arrests come after police seized Mr Maina’s mobile phones on Monday to examine incoming and outgoing calls and messages.
Ms Maina, 40, was shot in broad daylight in what was initially believed to be a botched robbery involving assailants on motorbikes.
Her lawyer George King’ori told AAP the mother-of-two may have been on her knees when she was shot, after dropping her son at a friend’s house.
A post-mortem confirmed Ms Maina, originally from the NSW town of Armidale, was killed by a single gunshot wound.
She moved to Nairobi from south-west Sydney in 2015 so her two sons could experience living in another culture and grow up with her husband’s extended family.
However, her lawyer said there was a breakdown in the marriage and in April Ms Maina took out a restraining order against her husband.
“There is divorce proceeding that were going on in court,” Mr King’ori said in a statement to AAP.
“At the time of the shooting she was not living together with the husband.
“She feared her estranged husband … the husband had become very irrational.”
Many things and people make us love Australia. For Hillcrest Preparatory School it is our Head Teacher Ms. Gabrielle Happy #AustraliaDay pic.twitter.com/3sXDcnqUsC
— Hillcrest Schools (@HillcrestKE) January 26, 2017
Australia’s foreign affairs department is in contact with Kenyan authorities responsible for the investigation into Ms Maina’s death.
It is also providing consular assistance to her family in Kenya and Australia.
Before moving to Nairobi, where Ms Maina was head teacher at the elite Hillcrest Preparatory School, she taught English and drama for almost five years at Sarah Redfern High School in Minto in Sydney’s south-west.
A woman, who declined to be named, said she had known Ms Maina for about four years as their sons had played together for the Ingleburn Magpies Junior AFL Club.
“She always talked about going to Africa, she was so looking forward to it. She was so looking forward to her kids being part of that culture,” she told AAP.
“She wanted her kids to grow up with that culture and she was really excited about the job.”
Investigations are continuing.
The New Daily has contacted Ms Maina’s lawyer Mr King’ori for further information.
-with wires
