A former Kenya Army Major has been sentenced to life imprisonment after the High Court in Nyeri found him guilty of murdering his two young children and their mother in a case that shocked the nation.
Justice Martin Muya handed Peter Mwaura Mugure three life sentences for the murders, ordering that they run concurrently. The judgment followed a successful prosecution by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), which argued that the killings were premeditated and warranted the harshest punishment under the law.
The prosecution team, led by Principal Prosecution Counsels Jennifer Kaniu and Pithon Mwangi, presented evidence proving beyond reasonable doubt that Mugure meticulously planned and carried out the murders in October 2019 while serving as a Major at the Laikipia Air Base.
According to court proceedings, Mugure lured his family to the military installation under the guise of a family visit before killing his two children on October 26, 2019.
He later murdered their mother, concealed the three bodies in the boot of his vehicle, and transported them to a remote location where they were dumped.
The court also heard that three days before the killings, Mugure had visited the disposal site and arranged for a shallow grave to be dug, evidence the prosecution said demonstrated clear premeditation.
In determining the sentence, Justice Muya considered a victim impact statement presented by the victims’ family, as well as submissions from the prosecution, which had sought the death penalty. The judge instead imposed life imprisonment, taking into account the period the convict had already spent in custody.
While delivering the sentence, Justice Muya observed that Mugure had shown “no iota of remorse” throughout the trial. He further described the killings as “barbaric” and expressed concern over the rising cases of femicide and infanticide in the country, saying such offences called for severe punishment.
The court concluded that the prosecution had presented credible, consistent and compelling evidence linking Mugure to the murders, leading to his conviction and the life sentence imposed on all three counts.
