Self-confessed serial killer Evans Juma Wanjala has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a 10-year-old girl at Moi’s Bridge Township in Uasin Gishu County.
Justice Reuben Nyakundi said the court was satisfied with the evidence presented by the prosecution that Wanjala planned and executed the brutal murder of Stacy Nabiso.
The judge described the killing as an offence against humanity, noting that the girl was defiled before being murdered. “The doctor’s reports indicated that she was seriously injured and her body placed in a bag before being dumped in the forest, where it was later found,” said Justice Nyakundi.
The judge said that between 2020 and 2021, many children had gone missing in the Moi’s Bridge area, showing a pattern of defilement and brutal killings.
The judge said Wanjala had no justification for the killing, which he carried out with extreme vengeance.
Justice Nyakundi further stated that the accused showed no remorse, regret, or willingness to seek forgiveness from the girl’s family. “You planned the offence and executed it brutally. This is what I call an offence against humanity,” he said.
The judge concluded that Wanjala had cut short the life of an innocent young girl in the most brutal way, and therefore deserves a life sentence.
Wanjala has been linked to the killings of five children, but the High Court found him guilty in only one of the murder cases he faces.
In his chilling confession to detectives at the start of the investigation, Wanjala took officers to various scenes where he reportedly committed the crimes. He also narrated how he executed his horrific missions.
A statement from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), which was also tabled in court, detailed how Wanjala attacked and killed the minors.
Justice Nyakundi said the prosecution had presented compelling and detailed evidence against Wanjala in the murder case. “The evidence placed Wanjala at the centre of the heinous crime,” said Justice Nyakundi. “Medical experts confirmed that the minor was defiled and strangled to death. Even DNA tests on blood samples collected from the minor's clothing matched those from the accused.”
During the trial, Wanjala had applied to enter into a plea bargain, but the family of the victim rejected the request, urging the court to handle the matter strictly in accordance with the law.
Sharon Sakwa, the girl’s mother, described Wanjala’s plea as a mockery to her family, especially considering the suffering her only daughter went through. “He caused a lot of pain to my daughter and killed her brutally. It’s impossible to imagine sitting at the same table to talk to such a person,” she said.
Nabiso was reported missing on December 31, 2019. Her mutilated body was found buried in a thicket in Soweto estate, on the outskirts of Moi’s Bridge township, on January 1, 2020.
The bodies of four other children—who were killed in a similar manner and whose deaths were linked to Wanjala—were also exhumed from various locations in Moi’s Bridge (Uasin Gishu County) and Trans Nzoia County.
Wanjala is also linked to the murders of Linda Cherono (13), Mary Elusa (14), Grace Njeri (12), and Lucy Wanjiru (15). He faces additional murder charges.
