The Friday, February 3, sentencing of the Mavoko Three convicts offered justice to the bereaved families, including that of Lawyer Willie Kimani.
However, the wounds and the scars of losing their loved ones are still fresh- if the words of Willie Kimani's father are anything to go by.
Seven years after the ordeal, a seemingly sorrowful Paul Kinuthia still dreads the day they received news about the death of his son.
The memories of his slain son were also fresh in his mind throughout the hearing period.
He narrated how he wore the same outfit in every court session since the case commenced in 2016, and depended on a well-wisher to make it to the court throughout the case owing to the financial constraints his family was subjected to.
“I used to wear the same clothes for the seven years we have gone to court, the ones he bought for me," he narrated while speaking to KTN News, adding that the family could not afford to spend on luxuries and other needs.
Kinuthia added that they struggled to raise and cater for Kimani's education expenses despite the family's middle-class economic status. For Kinuthia and the family at large, seeing Kimani's breakthrough in his graduation as a lawyer gave them hope for a bright future and a ticket out of poverty.
However, the 2016 murders meant that the family was left without Kimani, who used to offer help to the family.
His tone made it apparent that he was dissatisfied with the sentence handed to Kimani's perpetrators, stating that he wished for stiffer convictions.
According to the father, the sentence- though considered retribution- could still not bring Kimani back to life hence the dissatisfaction.
He was, however, grateful that justice was eventually served after a long time. Kinuthia feared dying before seeing the murderers brought to justice.
“I wish those people could be hanged so that their children and parents can also feel the pain we bear every day of our lives. That they would never see their children ever! Just like us,” Willie Kimani's father noted.
“The sentence may not bring him back but I will die knowing that justice has been served," he added.
High Court Judge Justice Jessie Lessit sentenced the main suspect Fredrick Leliman to death while the second accused (Stephen Cheburet Morogo), third (Sylvia Wanjohi) and fifth suspects were handed 30, 24 and 20 years in jail, respectively.
