Jackson Kihara Gachucha, the son of former Nyeri Governor the late Nderitu Gachagua, has moved to the High Court seeking to overturn his 20-year prison sentence, claiming he was intimidated, maliciously prosecuted and wrongly convicted.
Appearing before Justice Alexander Muteti at the Milimani Law Courts, Jackson told the court that years of alleged harassment and fear prevented him from openly speaking about circumstances surrounding his conviction for robbery with violence.
“I was framed up and improperly convicted. I am also challenging the manner in which I was convicted,” he told the court.
Jackson, who is currently serving his sentence at Manyani Maximum Prison following his 2019 conviction, argued that the case against him was part of a broader scheme linked to documents connected to his late father’s estate.
According to his submissions, some of the documents remained hidden under instructions allegedly given by the former governor before his death in 2017.
“If the court can provide me with security escort, I can hand over the documents to my family. Had I disclosed to my uncle where the documents are, I could not be here today,” Jackson told the judge.
The court subsequently directed prison authorities at Manyani Prison to facilitate and escort him to retrieve the said documents.
Jackson further claimed that he only gained the confidence to challenge the conviction after allegedly receiving assurances of protection from the government on October 11, 2024.
He also accused previous lawyers who handled his matter of betraying his trust, telling the court he preferred to personally argue parts of his application.
“All my advocates were compromised,” he claimed during the proceedings.
In his application, Jackson argued that the trial court failed to consider the four years he spent in remand custody before sentencing, terming the omission unconstitutional.
He further described the 20-year sentence as harsh and disproportionate, saying some individuals convicted of more serious offences had received lighter punishments.
“There are murder suspects who have received lighter sentences than mine. Considering the aggravating factors, I believe I deserved a lesser sentence,” he submitted.
Jackson also urged the court to consider his rehabilitation while in prison, revealing that he trained as a teacher during his incarceration and had attached medical and rehabilitation records to support his request for sentence review.
However, Justice Muteti noted that the High Court could not reopen factual issues that had already been determined by the Court of Appeal unless there were sufficient grounds for a retrial.
“I cannot revisit issues of fact that have been dealt with by the Court of Appeal unless the issues relate to a retrial,” the judge ruled.
The judge further advised Jackson to engage his family lawyer and consider escalating the matter to the Supreme Court, observing that some of the issues raised fell outside the jurisdiction of the High Court.
The matter is expected to proceed for ruling 17,May 2026 on whether the fresh application challenging the conviction and sentence will be admitted for hearing.
