Milimani Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina sentenced four men to death for their roles in the 2015 robbery with violence and murder of former Kabete MP George Muchai. Two others received 10-year prison terms for related unlawful possession of firearms. The ruling provides partial closure to a case spanning over a decade.
Milimani Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina delivered the ruling on April 9, two weeks after the four men were convicted by the High Court at Milimani. They were found guilty on multiple counts, including robbery with violence and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
The attack occurred in a nighttime ambush in February 2015 as Muchai drove along Kenyatta Avenue in Nairobi's Central Business District, killing him, his two bodyguards, and driver. Prosecutors said the gang was armed with firearms and targeted the former lawmaker.
Onyina stated the prosecution presented sufficient evidence proving the four main convicts played a key role in the violent robbery that caused the deaths. He noted the crime met the legal threshold for the death sentence under robbery with violence laws.
The two others were convicted of unlawful possession of firearms but evidence did not place them directly at the scene, leading to 10-year sentences each. Muchai, in his first term as Kabete MP, was known for trade union leadership before politics; his murder ranks among Kenya's high-profile political assassinations.
The case lasted over a decade with numerous court appearances, witness testimonies, and legal arguments from both sides. Prosecutors linked the convicts to coordinated Nairobi robberies around that time, sharing traits like firearm use and attacker numbers.
