Former Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Major Peter Mugure Mwaura has been sentenced to life imprisonment after the High Court found him guilty of murdering his wife and two children in a case that attracted national attention.
Justice Martin Muya handed down the sentence on Tuesday after considering the impact of the deaths on the victims’ family and the gravity of the offence.
“I have gone through the victim impact assessment report and taken it into consideration that the murders of the three were barbaric,” Justice Muya said.
“In the circumstances of this case and bearing in mind the time the accused person has been in custody, I sentence him to life imprisonment,” the judge added.
The sentencing followed Mugure’s conviction for the murders of his wife, Joyce Syombua Mwaura, 31, their 10-year-old daughter, Shanice Mugure Mwaura, and their five-year-old son, Peter Mugure Mwaura.
The three disappeared in October 2019 after Syombua and her children travelled to Nanyuki to visit Mugure at Laikipia Air Base, where he was serving. Their bodies were later recovered following investigations into their disappearance.
The prosecution presented evidence linking Mugure to the killings, including witness testimony and forensic evidence.
Following the sentencing, Mugure told the court that he disagreed with the decision.
“With tremendous respect to the court, I am unable to agree with the verdict,” Mugure told the court from the dock.
Justice Muya informed him that he had a constitutional right to challenge both the conviction and the sentence before the Court of Appeal.
The court found that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, resulting in Mugure’s conviction.
– By Esther Keshe
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