Four convicted in robbery case linked to former Kabete MP George Muchai killing as murder trial continues

More than 11 years after former Kabete MP George Muchai was gunned down in Nairobi, four men linked to the case have been convicted in a separate robbery trial.

But they have not been convicted of Muchai’s murder.

That distinction is at the centre of the latest development in one of Nairobi’s longest-running murder cases.

Eric Mungera Isabwa, Raphael Kimani Gachii, Mustafa Kimani Anyoni and Stephen Astiva Lipopo were convicted in March 2026 of robbery with violence in a separate case arising from a series of robberies committed around the time Muchai and his security team were killed.

The four were later sentenced to death for the robbery-with-violence offences.

The convictions were based on evidence presented in the Milimani Chief Magistrate’s Court, where prosecutors called 36 witnesses and linked the men to several violent robberies committed on February 6 and 7, 2015.

The separate case included robberies in which victims lost vehicles, mobile phones, a laptop, a gas cylinder and cash.

It also involved allegations of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

However, the murder charges against the four are being handled separately at the High Court before Justice Kanyi Kimondo.

Muchai was killed in a late-night attack

Muchai, his two police bodyguards and his driver were shot dead along Kenyatta Avenue in Nairobi in the early hours of February 7, 2015.

The victims were Muchai, police constables Samuel Kimathi Kailikia and Samuel Lekakeny Matanta, and driver Stephen Ituu Wambugu.

The former MP was returning from a family function when the vehicle was attacked near the General Post Office area.

The killings shocked the country and quickly became one of Nairobi’s most closely watched murder investigations.

More than a decade later, the murder case is still before the High Court.

Four were put on their defence

A major development came in September 2025 when Justice Kimondo ruled that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against the four men.

The court therefore required them to answer the murder charges.

Three other people who had initially faced the murder charges — Jane Wanjiru Kamau, Margaret Njeri Wachiuri and Simon Wambugu Gichamba — were acquitted at that stage after the judge found that the prosecution had not presented sufficient evidence requiring them to defend themselves.

The High Court ruling followed evidence from 37 prosecution witnesses.

Among the evidence presented was testimony from a protected taxi driver who placed one of the accused near the events surrounding the killings. Investigators also presented evidence concerning firearms allegedly recovered during the investigation.

Court records show that the prosecution's case included direct, circumstantial and documentary evidence.

But being placed on a defence is not the same as being found guilty.

The four accused were required to give their side of the case before the High Court could make a final determination on the murder charges.

Why the two cases should not be confused

The March 2026 convictions created a significant development in the broader Muchai case, but they did not settle the question of who is legally responsible for the four killings.

The Milimani magistrate convicted the four men for robbery with violence.

The High Court murder case concerns the separate allegation that the same four men murdered Muchai, his two bodyguards and his driver.

The distinction matters because a conviction in one case does not automatically amount to a murder conviction in another.

The April 2026 sentencing also made this clear.

While four of the men received death sentences in the robbery case, the court ordered that firearms and ammunition presented as exhibits would only be forfeited after the conclusion of the ongoing High Court murder proceedings.

What happens next?

The four men therefore remain before the High Court on the four murder counts.

The court must consider their defence and the totality of evidence before determining whether the prosecution has proved the murder charges beyond reasonable doubt.

That process is separate from the convictions already entered in the robbery case.

For the families of Muchai, the two police officers and the driver, the distinction means the legal journey is not yet over.

The four deaths occurred in February 2015.

More than a decade later, one part of the criminal case has produced convictions and sentences.

The central murder trial, however, still awaits its final verdict.

About the Author

Maureen Onyango is a journalist passionate about storytelling, life coaching and spiritual lessons. She studied at the Kenya Institute of Management and enjoys telling stories that inform, inspire and empower communities.