Eldoret High Court Sentences Serial Killer to Life, Ugandan Healer Gets 25 Years for Ritual Murder
Investigators revealed that Wanjala confessed to at least five murders and led detectives to the sites where he had dumped the victims’ bodies.
Convicted serial killer Evans Juma Wanjala faces sentencing at Eldoret High Court on July 2, 2025. Photo/The Star Kenya.
By Hubz Media Correspondent
The Eldoret High Court has sentenced Evans Juma Wanjala, a confessed serial killer and pedophile, to life imprisonment for the gruesome murders of several young girls in Moi’s Bridge.
In a separate ruling, Mawanda Asman, a Ugandan national and self-proclaimed traditional healer, was handed a 25-year sentence for the 2019 murder of a Kisumu-based nurse, Ferdinand Ongeri.
Justice for Moi’s Bridge Victims
Presiding Judge Justice Reuben Nyakundi described Wanjala’s actions as “predatory and deeply disturbing.” The court heard that Wanjala, aged 36, lured girls aged between 10 and 15 years with sweets and gifts before subjecting them to rape and strangulation.
“This was a series of calculated killings. The accused violated the most sacred trust—the safety of children,” said Justice Nyakundi in his ruling.
Investigators revealed that Wanjala confessed to at least five murders and led detectives to the sites where he had dumped the victims’ bodies. The girls were found in isolated areas near rail lines or in thickets, showing signs of sexual assault and strangulation.
One victim’s parent, Mary Nabiso, whose daughter Stacy was murdered in 2021, expressed a sense of closure:
“We have lived in fear and pain for years. Today, justice has spoken for our children.”
Wanjala had been under surveillance by the DCI for years and was previously linked to similar murders in Kibwezi and Makindu. His sentencing brings to a close one of the most chilling child-murder cases in recent Kenyan history.
25 Years for Kisumu Nurse’s Killer
In a separate but equally high-profile case, the court convicted and sentenced Mawanda Asman to 25 years in prison for the murder of Ferdinand Ongeri, whose mutilated body was discovered in Kimondi Forest, Nandi County in 2019.
Asman, who claimed to be a spiritual healer, was accused of luring Ongeri under the guise of performing a traditional ritual to bring prosperity. According to the prosecution, Ongeri was drugged and strangled before being dumped in the forest.
Justice Nyakundi termed the killing as a “ritualistic act of betrayal carried out under the veil of traditional healing.”
“The misuse of cultural practices to lure and kill innocent individuals is deeply offensive to both the law and society,” he stated.
Ongeri’s widow, Brossy Makimtigwa, who broke down during the sentencing, said:
“My husband trusted Mawanda. He sought healing but was met with death. We are grateful that justice has finally caught up with his killer.”
The prosecution relied on forensic evidence, phone records, and witness testimonies to place Asman at the scene of the crime.
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