Former USIU student who abducted his fellow student and murdered her after demanding ransom sentenced to death

Thursday, October 29, 2026 - The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has secured a death sentence against Duncan Livingstone Kimathi, a former student of the United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa), for the murder of his fellow student, Sarah Akello Aruwa, in a case involving abduction and a KSh 100,000 ransom demand.

Justice Kanyi Kimondo sentenced the 37-year-old after finding him guilty of murdering Akello between June 30 and July 1, 2012, in the Kiamako area of Githunguri, Kiambu County.

The prosecution, led by Millicent Kigira, called 17 witnesses to establish the circumstances surrounding the abduction, ransom demands and murder, securing Kimathi's conviction.

The court heard that Kimathi and his accomplices lured Akello before abducting her and demanding a ransom from her family.

The judge concluded that the circumstances surrounding the abduction and subsequent killing demonstrated malice aforethought.

Akello was a final-year International Relations student at USIU-Africa.

 On the day she disappeared, she reportedly informed a friend that she was going to meet a man she had previously encountered at the university library.

Evidence presented during the trial showed that the abductors later contacted her family and demanded KSh 100,000 for her release.

Her mother, Hellen Atieno Aruwa, told the court that a man called her using her daughter's mobile phone and demanded the ransom.

She negotiated the amount down to KSh 70,000 before reporting the matter at Kasarani Police Station.

Akello's boyfriend also testified that when he tried calling her, a man answered and demanded that KSh 100,000 be sent to the deceased's mobile money account as ransom.

The court further heard that Akello had written in her notebook that she intended to meet a person identified as Daniel Muriithi, whose telephone number she had also recorded.

However, the court established that Kimathi did not know Muriithi and concluded that the identity had been used as part of a plan to lure the deceased.

Investigations subsequently led to the recovery of Akello's bra, panties and a blood-stained top from a house in Savannah where Kimathi's girlfriend, Wairimu, lived.

 The second accused later absconded after being released on bail, prompting the court to direct that the trial proceed in her absence.

A postmortem examination established that Akello had sustained a laceration at the back of her head and bruises on her neck.

 The cause of death was determined to be neck compression through manual strangulation.

In his judgment, Justice Kimondo found that Kimathi had acted with malice aforethought, noting that Akello had been deliberately lured into a trap, abducted for ransom, and subsequently murdered.

The court consequently convicted Kimathi of murder, contrary to Section 203 as read with Section 204 of the Penal Code, and sentenced him to death.

The Kenyan DAILY POST.