“I am sorry. I regret my actions.”
With that brief expression of remorse, Murad Awadh Mbarak, who killed his wife for joining Instagram against his wishes, asked the High Court in Mombasa to show him mercy, saying four years in prison had given him time to reflect and reform.
Mbarak, 40, urged the court to impose a lighter sentence or even consider his release following his conviction for the murder of his wife, Nuru Ibrahim, at their Majengo home in Kanamai, Kilifi County, on June 19, 2022.
“Spending four years in prison has been a great lesson for me, and I ask for forgiveness for my sins. This will be my fifth year. I am deeply remorseful. I have no children, I am now a widower, and I have no home,” he told the court.
He argued that his lack of a home and children, coupled with the time he has spent in custody since his arrest in 2022 and his remorse, amounted to sufficient punishment.
However, the prosecution painted a chilling picture of the crime and urged the court to impose the maximum sentence.
“She was a mother of six and was stabbed not once, but several times. The act was carried out in a brutal and dehumanising manner. He stripped her naked and stabbed her in full view of her children and neighbours,” the prosecution submitted.
Prosecutors further told the court that the accused made deliberate efforts to prevent neighbours from rescuing the deceased.
“His intention was to kill her, and he succeeded,” the prosecution added.
Mr Mbarak had unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate with the prosecution towards the final stages of the trial.
The killing arose from several disputes between the couple, including the deceased’s decision to join the social media platform to connect with friends and family.
For Ms Ibrahim, what began as an ordinary step into the digital world ended in fatal violence.
Murder suspect Murad Awadh Mbarak who is accused of killing his wife Nuru Ibrahim in June 2022, when he appeared before the High Courts in Mombasa on March 17, 2025.
Photo credit: Kevin Odit | Nation Media Group
Mbarak, a truck driver, used his wife’s presence on social media alongside a disputed debt involving her brother to intimidate, threaten and ultimately kill her.
During the trial, the prosecution called 10 witnesses, including the couple’s children, close relatives and neighbours who gave detailed accounts of the events leading to the murder.
Although no marriage certificate was produced in court, Mbarak admitted that they were married and had six children together, one of whom had died earlier.
In his defence, he portrayed the marriage as stable and affectionate.
That account, however, was contradicted by testimony from family members familiar with the relationship. The deceased’s sister, Nasra Ibrahim, her uncle, Said Omar and her cousin, Salama Mohammed, told the court that the marriage was marked by frequent disputes that often required family mediation.
Money lay at the heart of many of the disagreements. Ms Ibrahim had sold her jewellery to finance the construction of their matrimonial home, which was registered in her husband’s name.
The court also heard that Mbarak had lent money to his brother-in-law, Ali.
While their father had repaid part of the loan before his death, Mbarak continued to demand the balance.
Witnesses further testified that Mbarak grew increasingly hostile after learning that his wife had joined Instagram, fearing public exposure and interactions with other men. As tensions escalated, Ms Ibrahim confided in relatives that she wanted to leave the marriage.
She sought a separation and requested a refund of her financial contribution to the house, so she could start a new life elsewhere.
Her sister told the court that the deceased had shared her distress just two days before the murder. Earlier, on May 1, she had taken a handbag containing important documents, including allotment letters and the children’s birth certificates, to her sister’s home for safekeeping, along with some clothes.
According to Ms Nasra, the accused had threatened to either kill or seriously injure her sister if she attempted to leave, and warned that he would circulate nude photographs of her on social media to shame her.
Mr Omar testified that three days before the killing, Mbarak called him complaining about his wife’s Instagram account. Two days later, another argument broke out, prompting his intervention.
On the day of the murder, Mbarak called again to say his wife wanted to report him to the police for assault and obtain a P3 form. He advised him to let her do so and promised to visit later. That evening, he received news that she had died.
Evidence presented in court showed that Mbarak possessed nude images which he used to threaten his wife. The couple’s 11-year-old daughter gave a chilling account of the night.
She testified that she woke up to her mother screaming, “You are killing me,” and found her father beating her naked mother with a broken piece of wood.
Neighbours were also alerted by the screams. One of them told the court that Mbarak refused to open the door, accused his wife of betrayal and stabbed a neighbour’s hands with a knife when they attempted to gain entry into the house.
Murder suspect Murad Awadh Mbarak who is accused of killing his wife Nuru Ibrahim in June 2022, when he appeared before the High Courts in Mombasa on March 17, 2025.
Photo credit: Kevin Odit | Nation Media Group
Police were eventually called, and Mbarak later surrendered. Forensic analysis linked blood on the knife and on the accused’s clothes to the deceased. His claim that an intruder was responsible was dismissed, with witnesses confirming that no one else was in the house.
In a judgment delivered on November 14, the court found that Mbarak acted with clear malice, citing prior threats, his deliberate actions on the night of the murder and his efforts to prevent assistance. The court ruled that all the elements of murder had been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
