{"id":227086,"date":"2025-05-29T09:54:57","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T06:54:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghafla.co.ke\/ke\/?p=227086"},"modified":"2025-05-29T09:54:57","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T06:54:57","slug":"fact-check-claim-that-jowie-irungu-was-pardoned-by-president-ruto-is-false","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghafla.co.ke\/ke\/fact-check-claim-that-jowie-irungu-was-pardoned-by-president-ruto-is-false\/","title":{"rendered":"Fact Check: Claim That Jowie Irungu Was Pardoned by President Ruto Is False"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recent online reports have falsely claimed that Joseph \u2018Jowie\u2019 Irungu\u2014the man convicted for the 2018 murder of businesswoman Monica Kimani\u2014was among the 57 inmates recently pardoned by President William Ruto.<\/p>\n

However, a review of official records confirms that this claim is inaccurate and based on mistaken identity.<\/p>\n

\n

Understanding Presidential Clemency<\/strong><\/p>\n

Article 133 of Kenya\u2019s Constitution grants the President the Power of Mercy, enabling him to pardon or reduce the sentences of convicted individuals. This authority is exercised on the recommendation of the Power of Mercy Advisory Committee (POMAC), a constitutionally established body that reviews petitions for clemency.<\/p>\n

The process includes thorough vetting and consultation with stakeholders such as the Judiciary, prison authorities, and, where applicable, victims, to ensure fairness and justice.<\/p>\n

\n

What Sparked the Confusion?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The false reports appear to have originated from Gazette Notice No. 6488<\/strong>, published on May 8, 2025. Among the names listed was Joseph Irungu Maina<\/strong>, whose name bears a striking resemblance to Joseph Irungu Kuria<\/strong>\u2014better known as Jowie Irungu.<\/p>\n

This similarity led to widespread confusion and the incorrect assumption that Jowie had been pardoned.<\/p>\n

However, prison records show that Joseph Irungu Maina<\/strong> was convicted in 2015<\/strong>, three years before Monica Kimani\u2019s 2018 murder. The two men have distinct full names, prison numbers, and conviction histories\u2014clearly identifying them as different individuals.<\/p>\n

\n

Jowie Irungu\u2019s Conviction and Appeal<\/strong><\/p>\n

On February 9, 2024<\/strong>, the High Court found Jowie Irungu guilty of Monica Kimani\u2019s murder after a trial that spanned over five years. Justice Grace Nzioka, who presided over the case, cited overwhelming evidence, including:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • \n

    His prior relationship with the victim, backed by witness testimony and phone records<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Use of a stolen ID to gain access to Monica\u2019s residence<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Eyewitness accounts describing his appearance on the night of the murder<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Possession of a borrowed firearm under false pretenses<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Witnesses who placed him at the scene, with some stating he was the last person seen with the victim<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Jowie was sentenced to death on March 13, 2024<\/strong>, and has since filed a notice of appeal against the ruling.<\/p>\n

    His former co-accused, journalist Jacque Maribe<\/strong>, was acquitted due to lack of evidence linking her to the crime scene or the victim.<\/p>\n

    \n

    Final Verdict: The Pardon Claim Is FALSE<\/strong><\/p>\n

    While President Ruto did recently pardon 57 inmates, Jowie Irungu was not among them<\/strong>. The individual named in the Gazette Notice is Joseph Irungu Maina<\/strong>, a different person entirely. Claims suggesting otherwise are untrue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Recent online reports have falsely claimed that Joseph \u2018Jowie\u2019 Irungu\u2014the man convicted for the 2018 murder of businesswoman Monica Kimani\u2014was among the 57 inmates recently pardoned by President William Ruto. However, a review of official records confirms that this claim is inaccurate and based on mistaken identity. Understanding Presidential Clemency Article 133 of Kenya\u2019s Constitution […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6069,"featured_media":207509,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[138280,310],"tags":[130897],"class_list":["post-227086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-entertainment","tag-jowie-irungu-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghafla.co.ke\/ke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghafla.co.ke\/ke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghafla.co.ke\/ke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghafla.co.ke\/ke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6069"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghafla.co.ke\/ke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=227086"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghafla.co.ke\/ke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227086\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":227087,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghafla.co.ke\/ke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227086\/revisions\/227087"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghafla.co.ke\/ke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/207509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghafla.co.ke\/ke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=227086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghafla.co.ke\/ke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=227086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghafla.co.ke\/ke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=227086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}