Peter Mugure at the dock at Milimani High Court/SCREENGRAB
Former Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officer Peter Mugure has been sentenced to life imprisonment after the High Court found him guilty of murdering his wife and their two young children.
Justice Martin Muya handed down the sentence on Tuesday, describing the killings as "barbaric" and ruling that the gravity of the offence warranted a life sentence despite the time Mugure had already spent in custody during the trial.
"I have gone through the victim impact assessment report and taken it into consideration that the murders of the three were barbaric," Justice Muya said.
"In the circumstances of this case, and bearing in mind the time the accused person has been in custody, I sentence him to life imprisonment."
The sentence came after the court earlier found Mugure guilty of the murders of his wife, Joyce Syombua Maua, 31, his 10-year-old daughter Shanice Mugure Mwaura, also known as Shanice Maua, and his five-year-old son Peter Mwaura Junior, alias Prince Michael.
The prosecution had urged the court to impose the death penalty, arguing that the killings were cruel, and committed against members of Mugure's own family.
However, Justice Muya opted for life imprisonment after considering the victim impact assessment report, the circumstances surrounding the murders, and the period Mugure had remained in custody while the case was pending.
The court observed that although the convict had presented mitigation, the seriousness of the offence outweighed the factors advanced in his favour.
Following the delivering of the sentence, Mugure told the court that he did not agree with the conviction and sentence.
"With tremendous respect to the court, I am unable to agree with the verdict," he submitted at the dock.
The judge subsequently informed him that he had a constitutional right to challenge both the conviction and the sentence before the Court of Appeal.
The case stems from the disappearance of Joyce Syombua and her two children in October 2019.
According to the prosecution, the murders were committed in October 2019 at the Laikipia Airbase in Nanyuki.
The victims' bodies were later recovered following investigations.
Throughout the trial, prosecutors presented witness testimony and forensic evidence in an effort to demonstrate that Mugure was responsible for the deaths.
The court ultimately found that the prosecution had
proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt, leading to his conviction.
