A man who confessed to his involvement in a series of brutal murders targeting women in Nakuru's Bahati area has been sentenced to serve several extended prison terms, with the longest running 28 years.
In a move to lessen his charges, Evans Kebwaro agreed to assist law enforcement in capturing his accomplices by pleading guilty to manslaughter.
Sitting quietly in the courtroom on Wednesday, Kebwaro recounted the chilling events that led to his current predicament.
It began on the morning of June 24, 2022 when he and his gang of five gathered for a final briefing at the Nakuru South Cemetery for a planned a robbery at a residence in Mawanga area.
According to Kebwaro's court testimony, the ringleader outlined their robbery plan for a home in the All Nations area. By 10am the gang set off on two motorcycles to join an advance team that had arrived at the location earlier that morning.
Upon arriving, they were signaled by one of their members who had been on standby at the home.
Inside the house was 23-year-old Diana Opicho, an orphan who had recently returned to Kenya after working in Qatar staying at the residence of her benefactor, Bishop Jotham Opicho of All Nations Church.
As she sat alone on the sofa watching content from the family’s 32 inch TV, she was ambushed by six rowdy men among them Kebwaro who entered the house from the back door.
One of them looped a wire around Opicho's neck, tightening it against the couch. Under duress she pointed them to the homeowner's room but when two of them broke in through the ceiling, they found nothing of value.
Meanwhile, Kebwaro was instructed to gather household items including a TV and a woofer.
In a harrowing turn of events, Opicho was escorted to her room where she was strangled and subjected to gang rape.
Kebwaro said when it was turn, he noticed Opicho was bleeding from the mouth and had vomited. Nevertheless, he forced her onto her stomach and continued the assault on the woman.
The gang’s gruesome acts were interrupted when they heard someone approaching the house and they fled through the kitchen door.
He grabbed a panga (machete) and checked the rooms, eventually discovering Opicho’s half-naked body beneath bloodstained beddings and ran out in shock.
Kebwaro told the court that he was the one who placed the beddings on the woman on instructions from the his gang’s leader. They had tried to burn the body using the beddings.
The group later reconvened at Nakuru South Cemetery at 5pm where the leader chastised them for the "failed" mission before dispersing.
In her ruling, Justice Patricia Gichohi noted the brutality that was meted on the woman and her painful death.
“That was callous to the extreme. The intention was for her to die in extreme pain and she surely did. By finally covering her with beddings, the accused ensured that she would have no chance of being rescued alive and the body will not easily be noted,” said Justice Gichohi.
“This court is satisfied that a determinate, deterrent custodial sentence of 28 years is appropriate to allow proper rehabilitation while in prison away from the society out there, including young women like the deceased herein,” ruled Justice Gichohi.
The sentence came a day after another court had sentenced Kebwaro to 12 years in prison for the murder of another woman Beatrice Akinyi in Mawanga.
Kebwaro had also entered a plea-bargain deal with the prosecution to plead guilty to the lesser manslaughter charges.
Ms Akinyi, a 20-year-old domestic worker was killed at her employer’s house on December 2, 2021. She was saving money to join a college after clearing Form Four.
Justice Hedwig Ong’udi, in her ruling, observed that the young woman's death was unfortunate and uncalled for.
“I have taken into account the pain and anguish the deceased at her young age went through, before her death. It was not called for at all,” stated Justice Ong’udi.
A pre-sentencing report indicated that Kebwaro belonged to a deadly criminal gang that lived in one house in a residential plot in Manyani estate which operated in secrecy.
The dangerous gang carried out its activities including rape and robbery while armed with firearms and that they were offered money to specifically target women for unknown reasons.
In his testimony, Kebwaro acknowledged his role but stressed that his motivation was unclear, attributing his actions to supernatural influence.
His cooperation with authorities led to significant breakthroughs in the investigation, ultimately aiding in the capture of his accomplices.
He was arrested in his home area in Kisii County where he had gone into hiding after he learnt the police were pursuing the gang members. He later led the police to the arrest of five of his accomplices.
Kebwaro was charged with four counts of murder before various courts alongside his five accomplices namely Kevin Otieno, Josphat Juma, Julius Omondi, Dennis Mmbolo and Isaac Nganga.
The six were in August 2022 charged with the murder of Grace Wanjiru, 20, (killed on June 15, 2022), Susan Wambui aged 38 (killed on June 21, 2022), Diana Opicho aged 23 (killed on June 24, 2022) and Beatrice Akinyi aged 21 killed in December 2021.
In August 2022, Kebwaro denied the charges but later opted for a plea bargain to plead guilty to manslaughter. He now awaits sentencing for two additional murder cases.
