The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has secured the conviction of a senior Kenya Army officer for the 2019 murders of his two children and their mother after the High Court in Nyeri found the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The court found Peter Mwaura Mugure, a Major at the time of the trial stationed at Laikipia Air Base, guilty on three counts of murder. The court heard that Mugure had meticulously planned and carried out the killing of his family in October 2019.
Bring the article to life: The prosecution led by Principal Prosecution Counsel Jennifer Kaniu and Principal Prosecution Counsel Pithon Mwangi submitted to the court that Mugure had tricked his family into visiting the military base on October 25, 2019 by telling them it would be a family visit.
The prosecution further claimed that the accused took his two children outside on the morning of October 26, under the pretense of showing them around the airbase, before killing them. He killed their mother later that evening.
Trial testimonies revealed that the murder weapons were loaded into the trunk of the accused’s vehicle, which was later used to drive away from the airbase before the bodies were dumped in a secluded spot.
Besides that, the prosecution was able to prove that the accused had visited the burial site three days before the murders and had made arrangements for a shallow grave to be dug. The court saw this as a powerful indication of the accused’s malice and intent.
The High Court in its ruling observed that the prosecution was able to present strong, trustworthy and coherent evidence which left no doubt as to the accused’s guilt. As a result, the court sentenced him on all three counts of murder.
Mugure is set to receive his sentence on July 14, 2026.