By Andrew Kariuki
The High Court in Nairobi has sentenced Beth Rose Karona Miano alias Muthoni to 15 years imprisonment for the murder of David Ngugi Mwaura, after finding that she participated in killing him and staging the scene to appear as suicide.
In a sentence delivered by Justice Kanyi Kimondo, the court held that the offence was grave, noting that the accused acted either alone or jointly with others not before the court to murder the deceased and later arranged his body to falsely suggest he had died by hanging.
The court acknowledged that murder attracts the death penalty under the Penal Code but applied the Supreme Court’s Muruatetu decision, which removed the mandatory nature of the death sentence and granted courts discretion in sentencing.
During mitigation, the defence told the court that Miano is a first offender and a mother of five adult children. She has been in custody since 2019, expressed remorse, and pleaded for leniency.
However, a pre-sentencing probation report filed in September 2025 did not recommend a non-custodial sentence.
Victim impact statements revealed that the deceased was a 44 year old mason whose family continues to struggle with the traumatic circumstances of his death.
While acknowledging his struggles with alcohol, the family told the court that nothing justified the manner in which he was killed.
In sentencing, Justice Kimondo stated that punishment must reflect both the seriousness of the offence and the moral blameworthiness of the offender, concluding that justice demanded a custodial sentence.
The court ordered that the 15-year sentence run from October 10, 2019, the date Miano was first arrested.
