A Naivasha court has sentenced 23-year-old Fredrick Mwonjoria to 25 years in prison for murdering a 15-year-old girl who rejected his advances when they were teenagers.
Justice Grace Nzioki delivered the ruling, finding Mwonjoria guilty of committing the crime six years ago while he was a 17-year-old student at Nanyuki High School.
The prosecution, led by Shirley Chepkonga, presented 12 witnesses who confirmed that Mwonjoria and the victim were neighbors. He had also served as her tutor, helping her with academic studies.
According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the girl visited Mwonjoria’s home that day for academic assistance but never returned. Her parents, alarmed by her disappearance, searched for her throughout the night. The next day, her body was discovered along a roadside, and her father later identified her remains.
During the trial, a witness testified that Mwonjoria eventually confessed to the murder. He admitted to inviting the girl over for revision, during which he attempted to make advances toward her. When she rejected him, a struggle ensued. Overpowered, he stabbed her in the back as she tried to flee. Panicked by what he had done, he moved her to the bedroom, where she lay bleeding. When she lost consciousness, he inflicted multiple stab wounds to her face, chest, and back.
During sentencing, the defense pleaded for leniency, asking the court to recognize Mwonjoria as a child under the Children Act 2022. However, the prosecution strongly opposed this, arguing the convict was no longer a minor and therefore ineligible. They urged the court to impose a retributive and deterrent sentence due to the severity of the crime.
Justice Nzioki ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt, citing legal precedents and emphasizing the elements of murder, including intent, the act itself, and malice aforethought.
