Former Riruta MCA Samuel Ndung’u Njoroge has been found guilty of the brutal murder of his ex-wife, Lucy Njambi, in Kiambu County six years ago.
Njoroge was convicted alongside two accomplices: Joyce Njambi Mungai and Wilson Mwangi Munyua. A fourth unidentified accomplice was also involved.
The trio executed the harrowing crime on January 24, 2018, by subjecting Njambi to torture, rape and dousing her body with sulfuric acid.
The Motive
Njoroge’s motive stemmed from accusing his wife of infidelity, and he vowed to teach her a lesson for allegedly sleeping with “uncircumcised men.”
On January 24, 2018, Njambi was kidnapped from her house at Thindigua along Kiambu road.
The prosecution suggested that Njoroge and his accomplices staged an abduction to conceal their true intent of luring and murdering Njambi.
“The prosecution advanced a theory that Njoroge and his accomplices staged an abduction where he and the deceased appeared to be the victims but the sole aim was to lure, capture, humiliate, and ultimately murder her, creating what they thought was a perfect defense for Njoroge,”
Justice Ngugi of the Court of Appeal stated.
Njambi’s killers forced her to drink the sulphuric acid before dousing her with it.
A Good Samaritan discovered Njambi naked and screaming in pain at a coffee farm on Kiambu Road. They swiftly rushed her to the Kiambu County Referral Hospital for immediate help and later to Kenyatta National Hospital. Njambi, who had suffered severe acid burns all over her body, succumbed on January 26, 2018.
The judge also ordered a Victim Impact Assessment Report to be presented in the subsequent hearing, showing how deeply the perpetrators affected the victim.
Circumstantial Evidence
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) called upon 38 witnesses, including eyewitnesses and Njambi’s relatives, to build a strong case against the perpetrators, including her husband Njoroge, Joyce Njambi Mungai, and Wilson Mwangi Munyua.
Njambi’s dying declarations, told to at least seven individuals, including Dr. Jackline Rigii at KNH and relatives, were that her husband was attempting to kill her.
The deceased who was an orphan also confided in her aunt that her husband was abusive. And sent a text urging her aunt to care for her four-year-old son if she died.
Key witnesses included Corporal Catherine Gatheca, who found acid remnants in Njoroge’s car, and Eunice Wamuyu Njogu from the government chemist who confirmed the substance as sulfuric acid.
Benjamin Mburu, a former teacher of Joyce Njambi Mungai, testified that she asked about buying sulfuric acid, and later, Njoroge called and made a similar inquiry.
Jonathan Limo, a Safaricom Kenya Limited officer, provided call data records placing Joyce Njambi Mungai and Njoroge together before the victim’s abduction and showed that Munyua and Njoroge also frequently communicated that night.
In his ruling, Justice Ngugi emphasized the overwhelming evidence presented by the prosecution, highlighting Njoroge’s history of aggression and assault as contributing factors to the crime.
Njoroge and Munyua were remanded at the Nairobi Remand, while Ms. Mungai was placed in custody at the Langata Women’s Prison awaiting a date for the sentencing hearing.
By Vivian K.