He stabbed her several times, killing her for joining Instagram against his wishes. For his crime, Murad Awadh Mbarak, 40, will serve 30 years in prison after he was convicted for the gruesome murder of Nuru Ibrahim, who was just 28 at the time of her untimely death.
In its final verdict, the High Court observed that it was not only the manner in which the murder was committed that was cruel, but also the fact that the deceased was stripped naked in the presence of her children, an act of humiliation that amplified the cruelty.
"The aggravated nature of the offence, the humiliation and deliberate acts preceding death, the involvement of children as witnesses and the stabbing of intervening relatives demonstrate high moral culpability and a risk to public safety," the court said.
The court also noted that the killing was exceptionally brutal, involving multiple stab wounds over a prolonged period, and that the offence occurred in the presence of the children, who remain traumatised.
The court further observed that the convict’s act of stabbing intervening relatives demonstrated Mbarak’s willingness to use violence to prevent rescue of the victim.
It also held that the convict, as a husband and father, had breached his duties of protection and care, adding that the offence forms part of the broader and grave problem of gender based violence and femicide in Kenya, which sentencing must publicly condemn.
The court also weighed Mbarak’s conduct during the offence, describing it as troubling when relatives warned him against giving the deceased water, which he nevertheless did, and instructed her to say her final prayers.
In mitigation, Mbarak said he was a first offender, expressed remorse and lamented that he had spent approximately four years on remand. He further told the court that his family had declined attempts at reconciliation and pleaded for mercy.
However, the prosecution dealt him a blow, submitting that the offence was carried out in a humiliating and inhumane manner.
The prosecution told the court that Mbarak was insecure and jealous. The immediate trigger, the court heard, was the deceased joining Instagram, conduct her husband irrationally feared would expose her to male attention.
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 sought a plea bargain about four years after his arrest and after being placed on his defence, but the prosecution rejected it as untimely and lacking in sincerity.
The court agreed with the prosecution, noting that genuine remorse and conciliatory efforts should ordinarily be made promptly, adding that the late approach diminished the mitigatory weight of the apology.
"Mbarak is sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment. The sentence reflects the extreme brutality of the offence, affirms society’s condemnation of gender-based violence, and seeks to deter similar conduct while acknowledging limited mitigation," the court noted.
The sentence will run from the date Mbarak was first lawfully arraigned in court over the murder of his wife.
The Victim Impact Statement produced in court describes profound and continuing harm. It indicates that the deceased was a mother and the principal contributor to the household.
It further states that the children witnessed their mother being stripped and stabbed and that they suffer nightmares, fear, sleep disturbances, loss of appetite and regression at school. The family describes severe emotional and economic hardship.
Mbarak, a lorry driver, used his wife’s presence on social media, together with a disputed debt involving her brother, to intimidate, threaten and ultimately kill her.
During the trial, the prosecution called 10 witnesses, among them the couple’s children, close relatives and neighbours. They gave detailed accounts of the events before and after the killing, which shocked the community.
Although no marriage certificate was produced in court, Mbarak admitted that they were married and had six children together. One child had died earlier, leaving five surviving children.
In his defence, Mbarak described the marriage as stable and affectionate. Family members familiar with the relationship contradicted that account.
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 featured prominently in their disagreements. Ms Ibrahim had sold her jewellery to help finance construction of their matrimonial home, which was registered solely in her husband’s name.
The court heard that Mbarak had also lent money to the deceased’s brother, Ali. Although their father had partially repaid the loan before his death, Mbarak continued to demand the balance and ignored advice to wait until succession proceedings concluded.
Witnesses said Mbarak became increasingly hostile after learning that his wife had joined Instagram. He feared public exposure and interaction with other men.
As tensions rose, Ms Ibrahim confided in relatives that she wanted to leave the marriage. She sought separation and asked for a refund of her financial contribution to the house so she could start afresh elsewhere.
Her sister told the court that the deceased shared her distress two days before the murder. On May 1, she took a handbag containing important documents, including allotment letters and the children’s birth certificates, to her sister’s home for safekeeping, together with some clothes.
According to Ms Nasra, the accused threatened to kill or seriously injure her sister if she attempted to leave. He also 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 to complain about his wife’s Instagram account. Two days later, another argument broke out, prompting his intervention.
On the day of the murder, Mbarak phoned again to say that his wife intended to report him to the police for assault and obtain a P3 form. Mr Omar advised him to let her do so and said he would visit later. That evening, he received news of her death.
Evidence presented in court showed that Mbarak possessed nude images which he used to threaten his wife.
The couple’s 11 year old daughter described the night in court. She said she woke to her mother screaming, “You are killing me,” and found her father beating her naked mother with a broken piece of wood from a baby’s cot.
Neighbours heard the screams. One told the court that Mbarak refused to open the door, accused his wife of betrayal and stabbed at neighbours’ hands with a knife when they tried to enter. Police officers later arrived and Mbarak surrendered.
Forensic analysis linked blood on the knife and on the accused’s clothes to the deceased. The court dismissed his claim that an intruder committed the offence after witnesses confirmed that no one else was inside the house.
In a judgment delivered on November 14, the court found that Mbarak acted with clear malice. It cited his prior threats, his conduct on the night of the murder and his attempts to prevent others from assisting the deceased.
