President William Ruto on Friday, July 21, reduced the death penalty for all capital offenders to a life sentence as recommended by the Advisory Committee on the Power of Mercy.
The directive, published in a Gazette notice by Attorney General Justin Muturi, will apply to all convicts sentenced to death as of November 21, 2022. In addition, Ruto granted clemency to 5,861 convicts, including 2,944 who had served sentences of six months or less and exhibited good conduct. The decision was made in accordance with Article 133 of the 2010 Constitution which grants the president the power to pardon individuals convicted of an offence.
“It is notified for the general information of the public that in the exercise of the powers conferred by Article 133 of the Constitution of Kenya and section 23 (1) of the Power of Mercy Act, 2011, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces of the Republic of Kenya, commuted the death sentence imposed on every capital offender as at November 21, 2022, to a life sentence,” the notice reads in part.
Kenya last enforced the death penalty in 1987 when Hezekiah Ochuka was hanged for treason related to a 1982 coup attempt. The penalty did not align with the 2010 Constitution which promises the right to life and freedom. In 2017, the Supreme Court declared the death penalty unconstitutional while ruling on a case filed by Francis Muruatetu. The 2017 ruling led to the creation of the Taskforce on the Review of the Mandatory Death Sentence.
Former Presidents Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta both commuted the sentences of death row inmates to life imprisonment in 2009 and 2016, respectively. In Kenya, a life sentence is until the end of one’s life, not by execution.
Ruto might have to…
Ruto might have to preemptively pardon himself because his might find himself facing the death penalty after being associated with the deaths of Maandamano peaceful protesters.
Ruto MUST GO!
Kenyans are…
Ruto MUST GO!
Kenyans are hungry and he has zero solutions, just looting public funds & killing innocent civilians.
Kalejinga Ruto , Kenya…
Kalejinga Ruto , Kenya Kwanza are mannerless.
Even Miguna and Ndii are progressively becoming shameless and mannerless.
Law enforcement in Kenya are increasingly becoming Mannerless.
Driving around in Subarus randomly shooting at innocent civilians.
Zero boundaries, just a bunch of Mannerless individuals.
You have no right to…
You have no right to interfere with court cases and past judgments.
Are you trying to cover up for the Kiambaa Church holocaust in Eldoret?
Does the church that you belong to allow people to be killed?
READ THE CONSTITUTION. It allows people to demonstrate peacefully.
The Critical Thinking People of Kenya deem you unfit to be the president of Kenya. Why? You have not read the Constitution of Kenya and have been violating it on a daily basis.
If you were the president of the USA, you would have been impeached when you stopped peaceful Kenyans from practicing their constitutional rights to demonstrate.
Take time and read the constitution now before embarrassing our nation locally and internationally.
It is a celebration day for…
It is a celebration day for death row criminals,and their friends,but avery sad day for the victims of their crimes.In view of the increased is murders I read about in Kenya, we should be heightening the punishment,and lengthening the time spent in prison.This move is not in the right direction,Dr.Ruto.
As for good behavior in prison,what choice do they have with armed guards watching over them?Once you let them out into the real world,most of these crooks resort to what they know best-crime.