When Lawrence Maina finally walked out of Naivasha Maximum Prison after 18 years on death row, he carried with him what many inmates dream of but few attain, a second chance.
By sunrise the following day, he was dead.
The 40-year-old was found murdered a few metres from his family compound in Kirembu village in Murang’a County, hours after returning home from prison, ending a journey that had taken him from the depths of a death sentence to the promise of freedom.
For many residents of Kirembu, however, the past had never truly died.
Maina had been convicted of murdering his father Mzee Humphrey Irungu in a killing that shocked the village and left scars that have endured for nearly two decades. Armed with a forked jembe, he attacked the elderly man inflicting fatal injuries in an incident that remains etched in local memory.
According to Chuui Sub-Location Chief John Maina, few crimes have left such a lasting impression on the community.
“His murder by his son sent shockwaves and anger through the village. It is more than 18 years since it happened, yet people still discuss it as though it occurred yesterday. When he was sentenced to death in 2012, many residents felt justice had finally been served,” he said.
But the law would eventually give Maina another chance.
The promulgation of the 2010 Constitution and subsequent judicial reforms transformed the fate of thousands of death-row inmates across the country.
In December 2017, the Supreme Court declared the mandatory death sentence unconstitutional describing it as inconsistent with the Bill of Rights enshrined in the Constitution.
The landmark ruling opened the door for resentencing applications from prisoners previously condemned to death. Many seized the opportunity, opting for fresh sentencing hearings instead of waiting for presidential pardons. Maina was among them.
His lawyers successfully argued that his constitutional rights had been infringed by the imposition of a mandatory death sentence. In reviewing the case, the High Court considered the 18 years he had already spent behind bars, favourable reports from prison authorities and a probation assessment indicating that the community was ready to reintegrate him.
The Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi.
The court then ordered his release. If he thought society was ready to welcome him back, events that unfolded on Tuesday night suggest otherwise.
According to a police incident report from Mathioya Sub-County, Maina arrived home at around 10 pm aboard a bodaboda.
“He was dropped home by a bodaboda operator. Information available indicates that he was drunk. He is reported to have left the compound shortly afterwards after finding no house to call home. He was found dead the following morning a short distance from the compound,” the report states.
Investigators say the circumstances surrounding his death point to a violent attack. A crime scene report indicates that he was likely ambushed from behind and struck with a sharp object.
“It appears the man was attacked from behind, where he was cut with a sharp object on the neck and across the head, and his prison release order was placed on his body,” the report notes.
The chilling detail has fueled speculation about whether the killing was an act of revenge, a random crime, or something else entirely.
Possible motives
Murang’a County Police Commander Cleti Kimaiyo said investigators are pursuing multiple leads.
“We are reconstructing the scene and analysing his final movements. We are exploring several possible motives, including revenge, ordinary criminal activity, or a confrontation that escalated into violence,” he said.
Police have activated local intelligence networks and appealed to members of the public to provide information that could help identify the killers.
By Thursday afternoon, no arrests had been made and for his family, the shock is still raw.
His uncle, Stephen Mwaura said relatives had barely begun processing Maina’s return before they were confronted with another tragedy.
“We were not given time to reunite with him. God gives people a second chance. Our kin walked from prison straight to his death through murder. It is not right,” he said.
The killing has also reignited debate about how former convicts particularly those imprisoned for serious offences, are reintegrated into society after long periods behind bars.
Murang’a County Youth Affairs Chief Executive Manoah Gachucha, a neighbour of the deceased, believes more should have been done to assess Maina’s safety before his release.
“Due diligence should have been applied in ensuring the safety of the man. You do not simply release a murder convict back into a village after 18 years without conducting a safety assessment,” he said.
Mr Gachucha noted that Maina arrived in the village at night after nearly two decades away and later walked alone along footpaths in an area that has struggled with insecurity, livestock theft and crop theft.
One possibility, he suggested, is that he may have been mistaken for a thief by villagers unfamiliar with him.
“A person who has been away for 18 years may no longer be recognised by many people. It is possible he encountered vigilant neighbours who did not know who he was,” he said.
Still, he cautioned against speculation and urged residents to await the outcome of police investigations.
Born in 1986, he was 22 when he killed his father and was sent to prison. He spent nearly half his life behind bars before finally securing his freedom through a changing justice system.
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