Nairobi: It was a moment of joy and relief for the family of Daniel Wanyeki, who was released after spending 17 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Wanyeki’s daughters had framed him for defiling them, leading to his life sentence, but he was finally freed following a successful appeal.
According to Kenya News Agency, Wanyeki walked out of Kamiti Maximum Prison after the Thika Court granted him bail. This decision comes as the court considers whether he should face a retrial, pending new evidence from the Director of Public Prosecutions. His journey towards freedom began in 2020 when his daughters recanted their testimony, admitting to the High Court in Kiambu that they had been coerced by relatives to falsely accuse their father.
The High Court, in light of this new and compelling evidence, overturned Wanyeki’s original sentence and called for a retrial. However, when the case returned to the Thika Court, Wanyeki’s lawyer, Kiroko Ndegwa, successfully argued for his release, citing the absence of
new evidence. The DPP did not contest this argument, leading Thika Chief Magistrate Stella Atambo to release Wanyeki on a cash bail of Sh100,000.
Wanyeki had initially been convicted of defiling his daughters, then aged seven and nine, and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Despite appealing the conviction, the sentence was upheld by the High Court and later increased to life imprisonment by the Court of Appeal. In a turn of events, his younger daughter revealed in 2020 that her testimony was fabricated, driven by a plot to take over a Sh50 million estate belonging to their late grandfather.
Following his release, family members, including his daughter Hannah Wangari, expressed their happiness at being reunited with Wanyeki. Wangari acknowledged the pain and trauma caused by their father’s wrongful conviction, stating, “Whatever happened is regrettable… we are only thankful that my dad is finally free.” She expressed hope for forgiveness from their father, who is now close to 60 years old, as they look forw
ard to rebuilding their family bonds.