Brutal Vigil Attack Ends in Death Sentence For Three in Laikipia

BY: ANN NZEMBI NZIU

What began as a night of worship ended in tragedy for two cousins in Laikipia County. Tabitha Wanjiku Njogu and Jeremiah Maina left home to attend an overnight church vigil in Rumuruti, unaware they were walking into a deadly encounter.

The following day, their lifeless bodies were discovered. Investigations revealed that the two had fallen victim to a violent robbery and gang rape.

The perpetrators—John Ekwuam, Wilfred Njoroge, and Zachariah Lomunyien Kibet (alias Mrefu)—had ambushed them while armed with deadly weapons, including Maasai swords, knives, and metal rods.

The three men robbed Tabitha of her phone and an unknown amount of money before brutally assaulting her. The assault resulted in her death, while Jeremiah was also killed during the attack. Tabitha was further subjected to gang rape, committed without her consent—a grave violation of the Sexual Offences Act.

The case was heard at the Principal Magistrate’s Court in Rumuruti, where Hon. M. Wachira delivered a powerful judgment.

He cited the excessive violence, the number of attackers, and the cruel nature of the crimes as aggravating factors that warranted the harshest sentence under the law.

Led by prosecutor Mr. Oscar Lamisi, the State presented compelling evidence that proved the accused were guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

The court found that the crimes were committed with malice and blatant disregard for human dignity.

As a result, all three men were sentenced to death for the charges of robbery with violence and murder. They also received an additional 15 years’ imprisonment for the offence of sexual assault.