A Nyeri court has set free former Endarasha Boys High School students who had been charged with murder.
They had been accused of setting a dormitory on fire on October 17, 2010, killing two students, Kennedy Karogo and Joseph Mwangi. The dormitory housed 180 Form 1 students.
The students before court on Friday were Peter Njoroge, David Ndung’u, Andrew Kandia, Stephen Ndirangu, Wilson Wahome, Derick Wambugu, Kevin Muya, Arnold Mwaura, Gerison Mwangi, Tylene Oyugi, Ayub Kung’u, Davin Ndung’u, Edward Karugu.
In acquitting the students, Nyeri High Court judge Jairus Ngaah said the prosecution had failed to prove their case beyond reasonable doubt.
The judge ruled that the prosecution failed to link the accused persons to the incident and the evidence presented in court did not reach the required threshold.
“In the ultimate, the prosecution case failed, not necessarily because some of the accused persons may be innocent, but because investigations were poorly conducted and therefore it is not possible for this court to pick the perpetrators of this crime,” Justice Ngaah ruled.