Death row ruling sets stage for reviews

The Supreme Court pronounced itself on the controversial automatic hanging of murder convicts, partly bringing an end to a debate that has raged for decades. The landmark ruling evoked memories of some of Kenya’s historic hangings, including that of Hezekiah Ochuka who was found guilty of plotting the 1982 aborted coup against President Moi. He was hanged in 1987.

The ruling by the highest court in the land declared Section 204 of the Penal Code unconstitutional. This means that some inmates could, after all, walk to freedom if the substituted jail term is equivalent to or lesser than the time they have spent behind bars.