
Valerian Njeri
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On November 28, 2019, the town of Naivasha faced an unimaginable tragedy with the murder of 15-year-old Valerian Njeri, a Form Two student at Mary Leakey Girls' School.
The unfortunate incident occurred mere hours after her parents, Mr John Nduno and Mary Goleti Chepleting, left for a relative's funeral. Njeri had shown great promise academically, achieving a score of 346 marks in her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and looking forward to advancing to Form Three. On the day of her death, she visited a neighbour, Fredrick Mwonjeria, to return a borrowed chemistry book.
The encounter descended into horror when Mwonjeria, enraged by Njeri's rejection of his sexual advances, responded with lethal violence. Legal documents reveal that after returning the book, Njeri rebuffed Mwonjeria's advances, leading him to attack her with a knife he had been using for food preparation. Although the first knife broke during the assault, he retrieved another from the kitchen and continued the brutal attack, inflicting a total of twelve stab wounds.
“The prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused committed the murder. The accused was last seen with the victim and could not explain how his room and body were covered in bloodstains,” said Justice Nzioka.
The postmortem report indicated that Njeri remained alive through the subsequent stabbings, highlighting the brutality of the attack. Following the murder, Mwonjeria attempted to conceal his crime by cleaning the scene and hiding Njeri's body under his bed. Under the cover of night, he disposed of her remains near his family's compound. The following day, as Njeri's parents searched for their daughter, Mwonjeria maintained a façade of innocence when questioned.
“According to the postmortem report, the deceased was stabbed 12 times while alive. The actions of the accused indicate hatred. Based on the evidence presented in court, this is a case of pure malice murder, and the accused is guilty as charged,” the judge said.
However, the investigation by law enforcement quickly uncovered critical evidence against him. Bloodstains found on his clothing and a trail leading to his room played crucial roles in unravelling his deception. During police interrogation, Mwonjeria ultimately confessed to the murder. The case concluded in February 2023 under the judiciary of Lady Justice Grace Nzioka, who affirmed the premeditated nature of Mwonjeria's actions.
The court recognized the malice behind the attack, noting Mwonjeria's failure to explain the forensic evidence found on him. Mwonjeria, now 22 and a student at Machakos University, has been remanded in custody and awaits sentencing which is scheduled for February 23.