Court blocks fresh challenge to commuted life sentence
Judge says courts cannot reopen matters settled through the appeal process.
The High Court ruled that a life sentence, resulting from a President's commutation of a death sentence, cannot be challenged in a new constitutional petition after an appeal has been exhausted. Justice Roselyne Aburili emphasized that life imprisonment is a matter to be determined by Parliament, not the judiciary. The decision concerned George Kamau, who was convicted of murder in 2012 and sentenced to death in 2015.
His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by the President, but he filed a constitutional petition in 2025, claiming an indefinite life sentence violated his rights. The High Court dismissed the petition, stating that Kamau had exhausted his appeal options and could not seek redress through another constitutional challenge.
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