Form 4 student jailed 20 years for killing baby
Rift Valley
By
Daniel Chege
| Dec 20, 2025
A Form Four student faces a potential 20-year sentence after the High Court in Nakuru jailed her for killing a three-year-old child on June 22.
Lizz Njeri, 18, admitted to strangling Margaret Wanjiku to death in Mchanganyiko area, Bahati, Nakuru County.
Justice Julius Nang’ea ruled that the teenager must serve a custodial sentence, despite her guilty plea to the murder charge on July 29.
“Although the offender is youthful, the circumstances in which the victim’s death occurred were gruesome as she was strangled to death using a piece of cloth,” noted Nang’ea.
READ MORE
State to cut debt by off loading large projects to private sector
Insurers urged to rethink PSV's high-risk model
It is a bad year: Rising costs dim X-mas cheer for many Kenyans
Boon for exporters as Kenya inches closer to China tariff deal
Closing Kenya's construction skills gap for future-ready workforce
CEOs see Trump tariffs, high taxes hurting growth in 2026
Christmas comes early for Naivas Kikwetu winners
Giant society turns to land lease to grow revenues
Flower growers halt expansion projects over tax refund delay
Nang’ea maintained that the aggravating factors were huge and a custodial sentence was imperative to better deter the offender.
“While I appreciate the stated mitigating circumstances, the accused perpetrated a vicious attack against the deceased which requires deterrence,” ruled the judge.
The court also considered the feelings of the deceased’s family, who remained in pain, bitter and unwilling to forgive Njeri or accept her back into their home.
Nang’ea also ruled that jailing Njeri would be appropriate and just to the general community where she hailed from.
“The convict is also dangerous to the society since it is not shown that she is now free from the bizarre influence that led her to commit the murder,” ruled Nang’ea.
He ruled that the best the court could do to balance the interests of justice would be to convict Njeri for 20 years. Njeri has 14 days to appeal.
In her confession, Njeri did not hide that she strangled Wanjiku to death using a scarf. She admitted luring the girl from their church before committing the act.
In a shocking revelation, Njeri testified that she had a dream instructing her to kill the girl.
She carried it out by leading Wanjiku to a secluded spot about 50 metres from the church.
“I had the dream after learning that the couple who raised her were foster parents, not her biological parents,” she said.
Njeri added that she experienced hallucinations and heard commanding voices instructing her to kill.
The following day, Njeri attended a service at PCEA Shalom Church with her brother, leaving him at Sunday school before attending the main service. She left when the sermon began.
“I went to the washroom and met Wanjiku. I greeted her and instructed her to follow me outside the church compound,” the convict testified.
Outside the church, she strangled the girl with her shawl, leaving her on the ground before returning to the service.
Even after committing the offence, Njeri reportedly picked up her brother and went home, carrying on with her life as normal.
Probation officers who interviewed Njeri found that her mother died three months after her birth. She was raised by her grandmother for three years before being adopted by her maternal aunt.
“The accused admitted that she attempted suicide while in Form Two after learning from her neighbours about her parents.
The discovery caused her emotional pain and led to nightmares,” the report read.
CCTV footage helped police identify Njeri as the suspect. She was the last person seen with Wanjiku, who was later found unconscious.
The footage, presented in court as evidence, showed Njeri holding Wanjiku’s hand and leading her outside the church compound toward a residential area, before returning alone.
Police later found Njeri washing clothes, seemingly unfazed by the incident.
A post-mortem report confirmed that the toddler died from lack of oxygen.
In mitigation, Njeri, through her lawyer, stated that she is 18 years old and a Form Four student at Upper Hill Secondary School.
She expressed remorse, saying she did not understand how she came to commit the act. Her lawyer recommended counselling instead of a custodial sentence.