Moses Karema, also known as Charif, appeared in Mombasa court and insisted he is alive despite reports of his death. He faces manslaughter charges alongside Paul Mackenzie in the Shakahola deaths case.
Karema told the court the death reports were false and that his father Charo Mwathethe Mulewa had mistakenly identified the remains of his brother Emmanuel Charo as his own.
He said he moved to Shakahola in 2020 and left his siblings in Malindi. He denied claims that his sister Sidi died in Shakahola, saying she died many years earlier.
The prosecution said five family members were reported missing and some were linked to bodies exhumed there through DNA tests. Karema has been in remand for three years and owns four acres in Shakahola.