Nine found guilty of killing Kamaindi chief
The suspects in the dock on March 19, 2024. They were found guilty of murder.
Nine people accused of hacking to death and burning the body of Kamaindi location chief, Japhet Mayau Mukengu on April 30, 2019 will know their fate on Thursday this week.
The accused, Gerald Njeru Kibau, Julius Mburu Kinanga, Leah Muthoni Ngige, Cecilia Kambura, Julius Njeru, Jediel Munyua, Tom Kinyua, John Nthiga and Jornard Njagi Kibiube were found guilty of murder by the Chuka High Court.
The murder took place at the home of the chief's brother, Gikware Mukengu, in the Kamaindi area, following a dispute over four goats that had trespassed on his farm.
On Tuesday, the court heard a report from the probation department on the nine accused persons and the response of the State's lawyer, Ms Felister Njeru, who urged the court to sentence the accused to a heavy jail term commensurate with the heinous act.
In his detailed and passionate plea, the accused's lawyer, Mr Mark Ashaba, pleaded with the court to consider that the nine are first-time offenders and all of them are remorseful for what happened.
He added that most of them are sickly senior citizens, with the eldest being 81 years old and four others over 60, with large families to look after.
He added that the accused were arrested peacefully at their homes while others surrendered at police stations and cooperated with the authority even while attending the court sessions from outside.
"I am asking the court to consider giving my clients a non-custodial sentence or a mixture of custodial and non-custodial sentences because some of them are old and sickly," Ashaba said.
Ashaba added that the nine are family members and there are two couples and if a custodial sentence is given, the families will be destroyed.
"After listening to the report of the provision officer, the reaction of the prosecutor and the mitigation of the defence lawyer, I need time to write the sentence which I will read on Thursday this week at 11am," said Judge Lucy Gitari.The killing of the chief also led to the killing of Chuka OCS Joseph Kinyua as he chased a suspect at Ugweri market in neighbouring Embu County, shocking the country.
Kinyua was hacked to death with an axe by some suspects, including David Ikaba, a butcher who was also shot dead. The OCS murder case is also in court in Embu County.
