NO MERCY NEEDED: JOWIE COUNTING ON APPEAL, NOT PARDON

Joseph Kuria Irungu, popularly known as Jowie, was not among the 57 inmates recently pardoned under the presidential Power of Mercy, his lawyer Andrew Muge has clarified.

This follows widespread speculation sparked by a gazette notice listing a "Joseph Irungu Maina" as one of the beneficiaries of the clemency. Muge, however, dismissed the reports, stating it was a case of mistaken identity.

"The individual listed in the gazette was serving time at Naivasha Prison. My client, Jowie, is currently incarcerated at Kamiti Maximum Prison. They are two different people," Muge told Citizen Digital.

Muge insisted that a presidential pardon is not necessary in Jowie’s case, as his legal team is confident the Court of Appeal will overturn the death sentence issued in March 2024.

“We do not need the pardon. The appeal will succeed once it’s heard,” he stated.

However, the lawyer pointed out that the appeal process has faced delays due to bureaucratic hurdles within the judiciary. He noted that in criminal cases, the appeal cannot proceed until the criminal registry compiles and submits the official record.

“Unlike civil matters where parties prepare the record themselves, criminal appeals depend entirely on the registry. That’s where the delay is coming from,” Muge said.

He expressed hope that progress seen in recent weeks would lead to the appeal being formally heard soon.

“We’ve seen some movement in the last two weeks and are hopeful the record will be filed as required under the Court of Appeal Rules,” he added.

Jowie, 33, was convicted of the brutal murder of businesswoman Monica Kimani at her Lamuria Gardens apartment in Nairobi on the night of September 19, 2018. He was sentenced to death by Justice Grace Nzioka on March 13, 2024.