KENYA: MACHARIA SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DEFILING, KILLING 7-YEAR-OLD TAMARA KABURA

February 19, 2026:

Nyeri High Court on February 19, 2026 sentenced Nicholas Julius Macharia to death after he pleaded guilty to the brutal defilement and murder of seven-year-old Tamara Blessing Kabura.
During the sentencing, the court noted that the offences were premeditated, meticulously planned, and carried out with extreme cruelty.
“The minor was lured to her death by a person she trusted,” the court observed, describing how Macharia defiled and buried the child in a shallow grave.
“Were it not for the intervention of a hawk-eyed officer, we would never have known.”
The judgment detailed that Tamara’s death was caused by asphyxiation, and she endured pain in her final moments.
The court emphasised that Macharia had abused a position of trust and displayed no restraint, making the offence particularly egregious.
“There have been no mitigating factors presented that would justify reducing the ultimate penalty. The conduct was despicable, involving extreme violence,” the judge said.
He further noted that an assessment of the applicable sentencing guidelines showed that the offences attracted a more severe penalty.
In its final orders, the court held that the death penalty remained the appropriate sentence given the gravity of the crime.
"The sentence must reflect the offence and denounce the conduct in the strongest terms, protect society, and serve as a deterrent measure. Therefore, accordingly, I find you are hereby sentenced," the court ruled.
A death warrant will now be transmitted to the competent authority for signing and execution after a 30-day stay, while Macharia has 14 days to appeal the ruling.
The background of the case shows a chilling sequence of events.
Macharia, the prime suspect in the murder, initially sought to change his plea ahead of trial.
During a hearing, Macharia requested that the charges be read afresh, indicating his intention to reconsider his plea.
He faced two counts: murder, contrary to Section 203, read with Section 204 of the Penal Code, and defilement of a minor.
Tamara was killed on May 24, 2025, in Witemere slum, Nyeri.
Following his arrest, Macharia was subjected to a mental assessment at Murang’a Level V Hospital, which confirmed that he was mentally fit to stand trial.
Despite initially pleading guilty before Justice Magare Kizito on June 12 last year, the court did not immediately record the plea.
At the time, the judge said that he needed to be certain that Macharia understood the legal implications of pleading guilty to the offence.
“The accused has pleaded guilty to the charge. The sentence for the plea is that this court will sentence him to death. But before the court proceeds to sentencing, he will be given some time in prison remand to reflect,” Justice Kizito said.