The mother of the slain seven-year-old Tamara Blessing has rejected an apology from the man convicted of killing her daughter on May 24, 2025.
While making her oral victim impact assessment before the High court in Nyeri, Susan Wanjiru told Justice Kizito Magare that no amount of apology or remorse from the convict would bring back her child or compensate for her loss.
“She used to be among the top performers all the time, and she would tell us that she wanted to become a doctor. It pains me to see all the dreams she had had were cut-short by someone. I do not accept his apology because the apology can never bring her back,” Wanjiru told the court.
She further informed the court how the loss of her firstborn daughter had taken a toll on her family’s health causing her and her husband to seek medical treatment and psychosocial support.
“Her death has affected me health-wise. I have not been okay since her death until now. I have been in and out of hospital and even attended seven counselling sessions. The incident has also impacted negatively on my spouse,” she said.
The seven-year-old Grade 1 pupil at the Judah Academy went missing on May 24 from the Nyeri open air market where her mother operates as a trader. After a two-day search, a Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV)footage from a car spare parts shop captured the convict, Nicholas Julius Macharia, walking with her to his home in Witemere slums in Nyeri town.
It was after his arrest on May 26, that he led detective to his house where they discovered her lifeless body buried in his house.
A post-mortem conducted at the County Referral Hospital mortuary on May 30, revealed that she had been defiled before the convict suffocated her to death. A day prior to the postmortem, the convict recorded a confession with detectives confessing the incident.
When Macharia first appeared before Justice Kizito on June 12, 2025 he pleaded guilty to the offence.
However, despite entering the guilty plea and a mental assessment report from the Murang’a Level V hospital confirming that was mentally fit to stand trial, the court did not record his first plea. Instead, Justice Kizito directed that Macharia be remanded in prison custody for 46 after which he would be presented in court again to take a plea.
At the time, the judge said that he needed to be certain that the Macharia understood the legal implications of pleading guilty to the offence.
Macharia later appeared a second time before Justice Magare in July last year when he denied the offence, paving the way for the case to proceed to full trial.
He would again overturn his earlier plea on January 22, 2026 on the grounds that he had had a change of heart.
On Monday, while submitting the mitigation, the counsel for the convict, Mahugu Mbarire told the court that his client was genuinely remorseful and had accepted his actions and had gone further to issue an apology to the victims’ family.
Mahugu further told the court that his client had also demonstrated cooperation with the investigating team by leading them to the scene of the crime and also by recording a confession over the matter.
“The accused person is genuinely remorseful. This is demonstrated by his acceptance of the responsibility of his actions. This is further buttressed by his pleading guilty to the charge that he is facing,” he said.
“In pleading guilty, what the accused has done is actually to save the court’s time and resources, and we plead with the court that you find his worth benefiting this action,” added Mahugu.
While urging the court not to impose a death sentence on his client. Mahugu also asked the court to consider that the accused did not have a prior capital offence record adding that Macharia be considered for rehabilitation.
“He informs me that he is a proper candidate for rehabilitation. He further informs me that he is in need of counselling or be in a position to participate in programmes that will make him a better person. Essentially the accused is not beyond reform and therefore penalty being death sentence is not merited in the circumstance,” he said.
Justice Kizito reassured the victim’s family that the court would fair in its ruling. He said that, he would consider the rights of the victim and the convict in making his determination.
“We note of the loss of your first daughter, who was seven years old. On behalf of the state, we note your pain. We have listened to the accused, and we have listened to the mitigation and at the appropriate time the court will say something and when it says that something that is when in your own estimation you will find whether there was justice for both sides. We are not in hurry because we may make mistakes, and we will make your daughter go for nothing so we have to be very careful and proceed procedurally,” said Justice Kizito.
By Wangari Mwangi
