Kenya: Man Sentenced to Death for 2012 Murder of University Student Sarah Akello

What the report says

A Kenyan court has sentenced Duncan Livingstone Kimathi to death in connection with the 2012 killing of university student Sarah Akello Aruwa, according to Capital FM as republished by AllAfrica. The judgment was delivered by Justice Kanyi Kimondo in Nairobi after the court found Kimathi guilty of murder tied to an abduction and ransom scheme.

The case concerns events in late June and early July 2012 in the Kiamako area of Githunguri, Kiambu County. Prosecutors said Akello, described in court as a final-year International Relations student at a Nairobi-based university, was lured before being abducted. Her family was then contacted and asked to pay Sh100,000 for her release, with testimony also indicating the demand was later negotiated downward. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecution said it called 17 witnesses to establish what happened.

The court heard evidence from Akello’s mother and boyfriend, as well as investigators who linked the case to a house in Savannah connected to Kimathi’s girlfriend. A postmortem found signs of head injury and neck compression, and the court concluded that the killing was intentional. One co-accused reportedly absconded after being granted bail, and the trial continued in her absence.

The ruling matters because it closes a long-running murder case and underscores how Kenyan courts handle abduction-for-ransom crimes. It also highlights the use of witness testimony, phone records and forensic evidence in building a homicide case.