Justice at last, as the High Court in Nairobi sentences six people convicted over the murder of former Juja MP George Thuo on November 17, 2013, to serve 15 years in prison.
In imposing the sentence, Justice Roselyn Korir said the sentence would run from April 19, 2024, when all the accused persons were convicted.
The Judge said she found credibility in the desire of both Paul Wainaina and Christopher Lumbazio to reconcile with Thuo’s family.
“All these were positive attributes that reduced the severity of the sentence. They don’t deserve the maximum sentence as prayed for by the state,” said the Judge.
The court while sentencing them further factored in the period in which they spent in pre-trial custody and the two months post-conviction custody.
Justice Korir on April 19 convicted Club owner Paul Wainaina Boiyo alias Sheki, Thuo’s aide Christopher Lumbazio Andika alias Lumba, DJs Andrew Karanja Wainaina and Samuel Kuria Ngugi alias Visi, Esther Ndinda Mulinge, a waiter, and a patron Ruth Watahi Irungu alias Atlanta over the murder that took place at Porkies Club on 2013.
The court noted that the MP died after his drink was poisoned at Porkies club in Thika.
According to the court, the prosecution had proved its argument that traces of pesticide was found in Thuo’s body thereby dismissing allegations that he was poisoned somewhere else.
The court further noted that the first, second, third and fourth accused persons sat with the MP on the material date and that no evidence was given to the court to show that they left the table.
According to the judge, the four had the opportunity to tamper with the drink.
The court further dismissed the submissions by the sixth person who argued that she bought the MP a drink as a sign of friendship.
Vanessa Irungu had told the court that she went to Porkies looking for change of Ksh.1,000 and thereafter saw the MP, hugged him and then bought him a drink.
The court, however, questioned her motive and wondered whether the hug was a Judas hug referring it to “kikulacho kinguoni mwako.”
“Was the hug of the sixth person the Judas kiss… evidence showed that she was a regular customer and she would be given the change even without buying a drink for the MP,” the court said.
Boiyo is the proprietor of Club Porkies in Thika where the MP was poisoned while Lumbasio was a friend of the late Thuo.
Ndinda is the waitress who allegedly served Thuo while Vanessa is the woman reveller who bought Thuo a beer before his death.
