Life in prison has been known to shatter the hopes, dreams and dignity of most inmates- with the infamous Kamiti prison known for harbouring the most dangerous prisoners in the country.
For those who get a chance to step outside the four walls, they bear the prison curse on their forehead with some turning to religion as a way to nurse the wounds (both mental and physical) suffered behind bars.
In the case of Apostle James Ngugi Njoroge, his road to redemption was full of twists and turns. From having a death sentence reversed to life imprisonment and then ultimately being released after 14 years, Mwangi endured the treacherous hard times after he was falsely accused by his neighbour and friend at the time, Peter Maina.
Speaking to Wambui wa Mwangi, Njoroge's story dates back to 2006 when he was making ends meet in Kangemi through menial jobs.
On one particular night, his neighbour Maina was assaulted and robbed off his belongings. At the time, Njoroge had arrived late at night after work and didn't know of the incident. However, word got round of Maina's unfortunate incident and police officers launched their investigations.
Three months later, Njoroge found himself on the wrong end of the law after Maina, flanked by unknown men, approached him and accosted him to record a statement at the police station.
He recorded a statement with the police but was held for further questioning inside the police cells- ultimately becoming the main suspect because of the positive identification from Maina. Startled by the events, Njoroge wondered how his long time friend would accuse him of a robbery with violence charge.
"My main issue of contention was how he (Maina) claimed I committed the offence, as in his police report he stated that the men had blinded him with flashlights during the night attack," Njoroge wondered.
Fearing the worst, Njoroge turned to his religion and prayed to God to help him out of the unfortunate situation.
However, much to his dismay, he was ferried to court one early morning to determine his case. By this time, police officers had raided his home in a bid to find evidence that would link him with the assault charges- they didn't find any.
The apostle's main hurdle was Maina who had positively identified him as the culprit- a fact which Njoroge couldn't prove wrong with his alibi.
"You will serve a death sentence for committing the.." no sooner had the words uttered from the judges mouth than Njoroge felt his world crash. He was to face his worst nightmare- the inside of a prison wall.
The apostle couldn't come to terms with the fact that he was in prison for a crime he didn't commit. His worst fears came to pass as he endured mental and physical torture from other inmates. One cell would accommodate an average of 50 inmates.
"Rogue inmates would make shanks from aluminum sheets that they sourced from 'Section' and use them to behead their victims. Other times they would strangle them using blankets and leave their bodies sprawled on the floors"
"The mental torture from the harrowing scenes would traumatise inmates, and families were left questioning what happened to their loved ones behind the prison walls," he stated.
Four years later, his ray of hope came from one of his cellmates, a lawyer, who began helping him with his case.
"My mind was not clearly present as I was still trying to comprehend how I found myself caught up in the situation. Through one of my cell mates who was a lawyer, he would help me with the case," he stated.
During a particular court proceeding in 2010, Njoroge's petition to appeal the death sentence was granted by a two bench judge of the High Court. This reversed his death sentence to a life imprisonment term.
Utilising his opportunity, Njoroge would minister to other inmates to turn their life to God: A far-fetched dream as the other inmates embraced a reckless abandon nature.
Things turned around years later, when the neighbour approached him to ask for forgiveness and they started the journey to withdraw the case. Maina had found his items, equipment with another person.
After serving his 14th year, the case was eventually withdrawn and he was released. Njoroge noted that he had forgiven his neighbour for the act
However, in a turn of events, the neighbour's children were arrested and convicted with a robbery with violence charge due to a kidnapping case in which they were caught red handed. Maina's kids were coincidentally taken to Kamiti prison on count of assault charges.
