Daniel Wanyeki’s family celebrated his release after enduring 17 years of separation following his wrongful conviction for defiling his two daughters. Wanyeki, sentenced to life imprisonment, walked out of Kamiti Maximum Prison on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, after the Thika Chief Magistrate’s Court granted him bail.
The decision followed a successful appeal in 2020, when his daughters recanted their testimony, admitting they had been coached by relatives to falsely accuse him. This revelation prompted the High Court in Kiambu to overturn his sentence and order a retrial.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Wanyeki’s lawyer, Kiroko Ndegwa, argued for his release, citing the absence of new evidence. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) did not oppose the request, leading Thika Chief Magistrate Stella Atambo to grant Wanyeki a cash bail of Sh100,000. She instructed the DPP to present any fresh evidence by January 22, 2025, failing which Wanyeki would be freed unconditionally.
Wanyeki’s conviction dated back nearly two decades, when he was accused of defiling his daughters, then aged seven and nine. Initially sentenced to 20 years in prison, his appeals to the High Court and Court of Appeal led to a life sentence instead of exoneration.
In 2020, however, his younger daughter, then 24, confessed in court that her testimony had been fabricated. She revealed that their relatives had pressured her and her sister into framing their father to gain control of their late grandfather’s Sh50 million estate in Kamakis, Ruiru.
After his release, one of the daughters, Hannah Wangari, expressed regret for the ordeal, describing the past two decades as traumatic. She recalled the challenges of growing up without their father, living in a children’s home, and grappling with the consequences of their actions.
“Whatever happened is regrettable. Together with my siblings, I passed through a lot, having to live like orphans,” Wangari said. “It should never have happened, but we are only thankful that my dad is finally free. He is now close to 60 years old, and we hope to enjoy every moment with him. We only hope he forgives us.”
Wanyeki’s fate now depends on whether the DPP will present new evidence by January 2025.
