Jane Muthoni, the woman accused of killing Kiiru Boys High School Principal Solomon Mwangi Mbuthi, has been found guilty of murder.
Muthoni, who is the widow of the principal, has been in remand for nearly five years following the murder.
She and her co-accused Isaac Ng’ang’a alias Gikuyu were alleged to have committed the offence on diverse dates between November 6 and November 11, 2016, at Karakuta Coffee Estate in Juja sub-county, Kiambu County.
The court ruled that the convict will be sentenced on May 18.
20 witnesses testified in the murder case.
During the trial, Muthoni denied killing her husband.
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She claimed it was her husband’s colleagues who orchestrated the murder after he refused to play into their game over transfers.
Muthoni told the court that the principals, who influenced transfers and promotions of teachers in the region, were aggrieved after Mbuthi was posted to the school while she was promoted to head Icaciri Secondary School without going through them.
Muthoni alleged that the cartel had demanded Sh1 million from them to facilitate their transfer to schools of their choice.
The court heard that the cartel framed Muthoni after killing her husband.
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But the prosecution told the court that Muthoni was behind the principal’s murder.
She was accused of having hired four people to kill her husband after suspecting him of having extramarital affairs.
One of the suspects identified as Joseph Kariuki Njuguna alias Karis confessed to being part of a gang hired by the slain principal’s wife to commit the crime.
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In a 10-page confession that placed Muthoni at the murder scene, Njuguna pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter in a plea bargain arrangement that saw him agreeing to be a prosecution witness.
He was sentenced to seven years in jail by Kiambu High Court judge Joel Ngugi in March 2017.
In his ruling, the judge stated that it was evident the accused was not directly involved in the planning and execution of the murder, terming him a reluctant participant who did it for money.
He, however, faulted him for doing nothing to prevent the murder.
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“It is troubling that not one time for the five months he had the information did he exhibit any pangs of conscience to prevent the murder. He just went on and sold his soul for pieces of silver,” he said.
“The charge of manslaughter normally has a sentence of between 10 and 15 years. However, after weighing all mitigation and aggravating circumstances, I hereby sentence the accused to seven years’ imprisonment,” ruled the judge.
The fourth suspect, Nelson Njiru, is still at large.
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