NAIROBI, Kenya – The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has secured the conviction of Dancun Livingstone Kimathi, a former student of the United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa), for the murder of fellow student Sarah Akello Aruwa.
High Court Judge Kanyi Kimondo found Kimathi guilty of murdering Akello between June 30 and July 1, 2012, in the Kiamako area of Githunguri, Kiambu County.
Kimathi was convicted of murder contrary to Section 203 as read with Section 204 of the Penal Code.
Student abducted after leaving to meet man
The court heard that Akello was a final-year International Relations student at USIU-Africa when she was abducted.
On the day of the incident, she reportedly told a friend that she was going out to meet a man they had previously encountered at the university library.
Prosecution evidence showed that the abductors later demanded a ransom from her family.
Akello’s mother, Hellen Atieno Aruwa, told the court that a man called her using her daughter’s mobile phone and initially demanded Sh100,000.
She negotiated the amount down to Sh70,000 before reporting the matter to Kasarani Police Station.
Akello’s boyfriend also testified that when he tried contacting her, a man answered the phone and demanded that Sh100,000 be sent to Akello’s mobile phone as ransom.
Name used to lure deceased into trap
The court heard that Akello had written in her notebook that she was going to meet a person identified as Daniel Muriithi and had recorded his telephone number.
However, the court found that Kimathi did not know Muriithi.
Justice Kimondo concluded that the identity had been used as part of a plan to lure Akello into the trap.
The prosecution argued that Kimathi and his accomplices had planned the abduction with the intention of demanding ransom from her family.
Police recover clothing and blood-stained top
Investigations later led police to a house in Savannah, where Kimathi’s girlfriend, identified as Wairimu, lived.
The court heard that Akello’s bra, panties and a blood-stained top were recovered from the house.
A second accused in the case subsequently absconded after being released on bail, prompting the court to direct that the proceedings against her continue in her absence.
Postmortem established strangulation
A postmortem examination found that Akello had suffered a laceration at the back of her head, bruises on her neck and a protruding tongue.
The medical examination established that she died from neck compression caused by manual strangulation.
The prosecution called 17 witnesses during the trial, with Millicent Kigira leading the prosecution case.
Court finds malice aforethought
In reaching the conviction, Justice Kimondo found that Kimathi had acted with malice aforethought.
The judge noted that Kimathi and his accomplices had lured Akello into a trap as part of a plan to abduct her and demand a ransom.
The court therefore found the prosecution case sufficient to prove the murder charge and convicted Kimathi.
Kimathi to be sentenced in October
Kimathi will return to court on October 26, 2026, for sentencing.
The conviction brings to an end the trial over Akello’s murder, more than 14 years after she was killed.
