Man 49, tastes freedom after 25 years in jail

Young and restless, this is what defined SimonLokwachwelia's life 25 years ago.

Having attained the age of 24 years, the young Lokwachwelia had one thing in mind; to start his own family and become a responsible family man.

Like his peers, he embarked on a mission to search for his life partner and at this time he had one person in mind; His childhood friend and neighbour.

“Those days there were no phones and we only relied on letters and in person communication. We had seen each other for some time and after enquiring from one of her brothers I was informed that she was staying with her relatives at Subukia in the neighbouring Nakuru county,” narrates Mr Lokwachwelia.

So determined to look for his fiancé, he decided to travel to Subukia one Saturday morning in September 1998 to visit her.

Also read: After nearly two decades in jail, this is his first day out

“On my past Rumuruti area, at Gatundia trading centre luckily or unluckily I met with a longtime friend together with his friend whom I never met before and they offered to give me a lift on a pickup they were travelling on.

“Unknown to me, the vehicle had been stolen at Nanyuki town and detectives were in hot pursuit of the vehicle together with its occupants,” he posed.

Mr Lokwachwelia says after realising that the detectives were almost catching up with them, the two decided to abandon the vehicle and escaped on foot to nearby forest a few kilometres to Subukia town from Nyahururu town.

“I decided to remain behind and explain to the police that I had only been offered a ride,” he explains.

He was however arrested after failing to convince the detectives and explained whereabout of the two. He was escorted back to Nanyuki.

At only 24 and fresh from the village, Lokwachwelia was arrested for robbery with violence. That was in 1998. Having only a knowledge of herding livestock and art he says he had learnt from his parents back at the village, he was already in the criminal justice system with a potentially life-long sentence, if not worse – hanging over his head.

At Nanyuki Law courts he was charged with five counts of robbery with violence; charges that he claims he was never given any inkling details of the case.

After spending one year in remand, Lokwachwelia was eventually tried and then convicted and in April 13, 2000 the then Nanyuki Senior Resident Magistrate S.M. Kibunja found him guilty of the charges and sentenced him to a death penalty.

He says he could not come to term with the judgement that the magistrate had handed to him.

The open-ended nature of his punishment would become too much on him and the following month, Mr Lokwachwelia appealed the judgement.

“My main grounds were that the sentence imposed on me was unconstitutional and that I was a young first offender. I embarked on another journey; to appeal the sentencing,” he explains.

Fast-forward 19 years later, Mr Lokwachwelia successfully appealed the sentencing.

In 2019, Justice H.P.B Waweru substituted the sentences from death to a jail term of 35 years for the five counts and the sentences were to run concurrently under section 296 (2) of the Penal Code.

The sentences were to run from the time of his sentencing in 2000.

Four years later after successfully appealing his sentencing, Lokwachwelia, now 49, has finally tasted freedom having lived more than half of his life in prison.’

Also read: Gone in 5 minutes: Elusive freedom for freed terror suspects

And on August 13, 2023 family and friends received him with pomp and colour.

Ululation, cheers and high-pitched whistlers from traditional dancers filled Mr Lokwachwelia Kinamba home in Sossian ward in Laikipia North where he retreated hoping to recollect pieces of his life after walking to freedom from Rumuruti prison in Laikipia county.

“Though many things have changed, I am happy to be home after all those years. I do not want to focus much on what happened while I was away or why I went to prison…………..I just want to focus on recollecting pieces of my life because that is very most important thing now,” the Ex-convict who now has a Grade-one Mechanical engineering craft course told the Nation.

While affirming that the ex-convict has never had an indiscipline case while in prison, Rumuruti Prison Deputy Officer in charge Senior Superintendent of Prisons Justus Akhanyinya urged members of the community not stigmatize newly released offenders as they sought to reintegrate themselves back into the society.

 “He is part of convicts that we have been monitoring closely and I can tell that his files are clean. He has been the most disciplined, obedient, hardworking and always ready and willing to learn,” noted Mr Akhanyinya.

The officer at the same time asked members of the family and society to embrace the ex-inmate and help him rebuild his life as he returned back to them.

 He said that the community usually has a hard time receiving the ex-offenders and, in a bid, to find a way out some of them fail to cope with the discrimination and hence reoffend to go back to prison.

 “While in prisons, convicts are provided with various job skills for a smooth reintegration back to the society.So it is important that the society walk with the ex-prisoners.

“They should be given a conducive environment because this is key for their total transformation,” said the officer.

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