This archive report was first published on 4 October 2019.
On October 4, 2019, the Court of Appeal dismissed the bid by former Gatundu North MP Patrick Muiruri to increase compensation for the murder of his son, James Ng'ang'a.
James Ng'ang'a was shot and killed by police in 2009 while he was pursuing a PhD at Sheffield University in the UK. Muiruri had initially filed a compensation demand at the High Court and was awarded Sh15 million.
However, Muiruri argued that the amount was insufficient, citing his son's potential earnings over his lifetime. But the Court of Appeal judges ruled that Ng'ang'a was not employed at the time of his death, making the initial award reasonable.
According to the judges, the High Court had employed a multiplicand of Sh120,000 per month and a multiplier of 25 years at the dependency ratio of one third, which gave the sum of Sh12 million. This was deemed sufficient in the circumstances where employment or earnings was not proved.
Ng'ang'a was killed on January 24, 2009, in Westlands, Nairobi, after being confronted by two men, Dickson Munene Mwangi and Alexander Chepkonga Francis. Mwangi, a police inspector, shot Ng'ang'a three times and was sentenced to death, while Chepkonga was acquitted.
