Nairobi — The High Court in Ol Kalou has sentenced a police officer to 30 years' imprisonment after convicting him of manslaughter in connection with the fatal shooting of a civilian in Nyandarua County in 2020.
In a statement on Thursday, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) confirmed that officer William Muriuki Nyaga was handed the custodial sentence following his conviction on February 4, 2026.
The conviction stems from the fatal shooting of Stephen Githinji Ndiuni on the night of May 24, 2020, at Equator Springs Hotel in Gwa Kung'u township, Nyandarua North Sub-County.
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Nyaga had initially been charged with murder alongside two civilians, Francis Muriithi and Tatio Kamphine, who remains at large.
However, in his judgment, Justice Waweru Kiarie ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove malice aforethought -- a key legal threshold required to sustain a murder conviction -- and instead found the officer guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter.
The court exonerated Francis Muriithi, while proceedings against Kamphine remain pending due to his absence.
IPOA, which investigated the case under its statutory mandate to oversee police conduct, welcomed the sentence, describing it as part of ongoing efforts to enhance accountability within the National Police Service.
Related conviction in Mombasa
The sentencing comes just days after the Mombasa High Court handed former Likoni Officer Commanding Station (OCS) Yunus Athman a life sentence for the 2018 murder of 20-year-old Mbaraka Maitha Omar.
Justice Wendy Kagendo Micheni found Athman guilty of fatally shooting Omar at Mwenza Village in Likoni while attempting to arrest him over allegations of goat theft.
The prosecution, led by Ngiri Wangui from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, called more than 20 witnesses who placed the former chief inspector at the scene and refuted claims that the deceased had posed any threat.
In her ruling, Justice Micheni said the court had considered mitigation, the pre-sentence report, and the victim impact statement before imposing a life sentence.
"As a police officer, the convict had a statutory duty to protect life but instead used unlawful force against a defenceless civilian," she ruled.
The court heard that Athman fired multiple shots at the victim, killing him on the spot despite the absence of resistance during the attempted arrest.
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Witnesses testified that the victim was unarmed and posed no threat to the officer or the public.
The victim's family told the court they continue to suffer psychological trauma, describing the killing as malicious and a betrayal of public trust.
Justice Micheni directed the convict to exercise his right of appeal within 14 days against both the conviction and sentence.
Judicial scrutiny
The two rulings add to a growing list of cases in which Kenyan courts have imposed severe penalties on law enforcement officers found culpable in unlawful killings.
The government has faced sustained criticism from human rights organisations over alleged extrajudicial killings and excessive use of force, particularly in informal settlements and during security operations.
IPOA has repeatedly flagged cases involving fatal shootings of unarmed civilians, while the judiciary has emphasized strict adherence to constitutional protections, including Article 26, which guarantees the right to life.
