Ex-KDF officer jailed for life over murder of his wife, two children

Former KDF officer Major Peter Mugure Mwaura before the  Milimani High Court in Nairobi on July 14, 2026. [Nancy Gitonga, Standard]

Former Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officer Major Peter Mugure Mwaura has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of his estranged wife and their two children in October 2019 in Nayuki.

In sentencing the former military officer on Tuesday, Milimani High Court Judge Martin Muya said he had shown no remorse for the horrific killings and the case represents the growing femicide in the country.

"However, the convict has not shown any iota of remorse. The offence of murder carries severe punishment. This was a femicide offence and these are offences that have become rampant in the country and call for severe punishment," Justice Muya ruled.

The judge said he had considered the victim impact assessment report together with submissions by both the prosecution and defence before arriving at the sentence.

"I have gone through the victim impact assessment report and the court has considered the same, but the murders of the three deceased persons were barbaric. The prosecution has called for the death penalty. I am mindful of the Supreme Court decision in the famous Muruatetu case, but considering the circumstances of this case and bearing in mind the period the accused has been in custody, I sentence him to life imprisonment," Justice Muya said.

The court had earlier found Mugure guilty of murdering his 31-year-old wife, Joyce Syombua, their 10-year-old daughter Shanice Maua and five-year-old son Prince Michael after luring them to the Nanyuki Air Base where he was stationed.

Justice Muya ruled that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that Mugure meticulously planned the killings, murdered the three victims and enlisted the help of fellow soldier Collins Pamba to dispose of their bodies.

The bodies were loaded into the boot of his car after the spare tyre was removed to create space before being buried in a shallow grave at Thigithu in Nanyuki. 

The conviction was based on direct and circumstantial evidence, including testimony from Pamba, who entered into a plea bargain and was sentenced to five years' imprisonment. 

The further the judge also relied on forensic DNA evidence confirming Mugure was the biological father of the two children, mobile phone records and post-mortem findings showing Syombua died from blunt force trauma while the children were strangled. 

The judge also found that Mugure had scouted the burial site days before the murders, demonstrating that the killings were premeditated.