A High Court in Ol Kalou on Thursday sentenced a police officer to 30 years in prison after convicting him of manslaughter over a 2020 death in Nyandarua County. The case, initially prosecuted as murder, was investigated by IPOA and reaffirms ongoing scrutiny of police accountability.
“The High Court in Ol Kalou has today handed a 30-year jail term to a police officer convicted of manslaughter,” reads the ruling.
The officer, William Muriuki Nyaga, was convicted on February 4, 2026.
The case stems from the death of Stephen Githinji Ndiuni on the night of May 24, 2020, at Equator Springs Hotel in Gwa Kung’u township, Nyandarua North Sub-County within Nyandarua County.
Nyaga had initially been charged jointly with two civilians, Francis Muriithi and Tatio Kamphine, who is still at large.
The three were originally accused of murder. However, in delivering judgment, Justice W. Kiarie convicted the officer on a lesser charge.
According to the court, Nyaga was found guilty of a “lesser included offense of manslaughter,” after the judge ruled that the prosecution had not proven malice aforethought.
The finding meant that while the court determined responsibility for the unlawful killing, it did not find sufficient evidence to sustain a murder conviction.
Francis Muriithi, who had been jointly charged in the matter, was exonerated. The third accused, Tatio Kamphine, remains at large.
The events leading to Ndiuni’s death occurred on the night of May 24, 2020, at the Equator Springs Hotel.
The incident took place in Gwa Kung’u township in Nyandarua North Sub-County, an area within Nyandarua County. Details presented during the trial led to the officer’s conviction for manslaughter rather than murder.
The matter was investigated by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), the statutory body mandated to provide civilian oversight over the work of the police.
The case was highlighted under the themes “#GuardingPublicInterestInPolicing” and “#PoliceAccountability,” reflecting broader scrutiny of police conduct and the mechanisms in place to ensure accountability.
The 30-year sentence marks a significant penalty in a case that began with murder charges and concluded with a manslaughter conviction.
The court’s determination that “the prosecution had not proven malice aforethought” was central to the final outcome, distinguishing the offence from murder under Kenyan law.
The judgment brings to a close a legal process that has spanned several years, from the incident in May 2020 to the conviction in February 2026 and the subsequent sentencing in Ol Kalou.
While one co-accused was acquitted and another remains at large, the conviction of a serving police officer and the lengthy custodial sentence reaffirm the seriousness with which the court treated the matter.
