This archive report was first published on 8 July 2021.
On July 8, 2021, the High Court acquitted Philip Onyancha, a man accused of being a serial killer, of murdering a woman in Nairobi in 2008.
The court found that the police investigation was poor and relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, which was deemed unreliable.
Justice Jessie Lesiit pointed out that the police left out many critical gaps in the investigation, including whether the woman, Jackline Chepngetich Misoi, had entertained a visitor on the night she was killed.
Onyancha had been accused of killing Misoi on May 30, 2008, along Munyiri road in Nairobi. He was arraigned before the court on June 18, 2008, and denied the charge.
The prosecution called 14 witnesses, including Misoi's father, who testified that she had gotten a new job in Dubai and was preparing to travel there.
Doctors who testified said Onyancha had a personality narcissistic disorder, which was the primary driver of his actions.
According to one of the psychiatrists, Onyancha had an exaggerated sense of self-importance and had pre-occupations with fantasies of unlimited success, power, and brilliance.
