After six years of legal proceedings, Joseph Irungu Kuria, also known as Alias Jowie, has been sentenced to death. A sentence fraught with controversy in Kenyan judicial history.
Jowie was sentenced after being found guilty of the gruesome murder of Monica Kimani, a Nairobi businesswoman in Nairobi's Kilimani estate.
In convicting Irungu, the judge said that all the ingredients of murder had been proved beyond reasonable doubt and that all the evidence and the doctrine of last sight placed Jowie Irungu at the murder scene.
The judge said that the evidence proved that indeed Irungu murdered the deceased.
Kenya's death penalty history is varied, and executions have become less common in recent decades.
The death penalty has been legal in Kenya since before independence, going back to British colonial rule in 1893. Traditionally, Kenyan civilizations stressed restorative justice over capital punishment.
Following its independence in 1963, Kenya resorted to executions for crimes such as murder, treason, and armed robbery.
According to sources, around 280 deaths occurred between 1963 and 1987 alone.
After six years of legal proceedings, Joseph Irungu Kuria, also known as Alias Jowie, has been sentenced to death. A sentence fraught with controversy in Kenyan judicial history.
Kenya's death penalty history is varied, and executions have become less common in recent decades.
The death penalty has been legal in Kenya since before independence, going back to British colonial rule in 1893. Traditionally, Kenyan civilizations stressed restorative justice over capital punishment.
Following its independence in 1963, Kenya resorted to executions for crimes such as murder, treason, and armed robbery. According to sources, around 280 deaths occurred between 1963 and 1987 alone.
The last executions were in 1987, when leaders accused in a coup attempt were hanged for treason.
Commutations and a legal shift: Since 1987, no executions have occurred. Presidents have commuted all death sentences on several occasions, most recently in 2016.
In 2017, the Supreme Court found obligatory death sentences unconstitutional.
Current scenario
The death penalty is still legal in Kenya, and courts have the authority to sentence persons to death.
There is no current policy to recommence executions, and many remain on death row.