Murderers walk free as 264 jailed for 1,709 murders

A large number of murder cases filed in court never end in convictions, suggesting that the offenders walked free.

According to the Economic Survey, only 264 murder cases were successfully prosecuted last year out of 1,709 cases filed in court.

In 2012, 1,347 murder cases were filed, but there were convictions in only 66, pointing to the need to strengthen prosecution.

“Kisii station registered the highest number of murder cases while Homa Bay recorded the least. Machakos had the highest number of convictions, while Mombasa, Kakamega and Nyeri stations did not record any convictions in the period under review,” the survey said.

Men were most likely to commit serious offences, the survey also showed.

While police held 1,507 men for murder in 2013, only 214 suspects were women.

However, the survey pointed at an increase in convictions in other offences because the number of prisoners has been on the rise, from 204,551 in 2012 to 227,918 last year.

“Public safety, law and order is an important determinant in the attainment of economic growth, peace and stability as well as the well-being of the population,” the survey said.

The survey further showed Nairobi was the crime capital, accounting for 8,207 crime incidents — nearly 13 per cent of the remaining counties that recorded 63,311 crimes.