“Although nature commences with reason and ends in experience, it is necessary for us to do the opposite—that is to commence with experience and from this to proceed to investigate the reason.”
Edwin Gathigi, a man wrongfully sentenced to life in prison for defilement, was released just one week ago after new evidence emerged that proved his innocence. The 24-year-old had been convicted in 2025 based largely on the testimony of his grandmother, who claimed to have witnessed the crime.
In an emotional visit to Edwin in August 2025, his grandmother admitted to providing false testimony, alleging she had been influenced by her daughter to do so.
The case took a complicated turn when Edwin's mother revealed that her sister had falsely accused her son out of a long-standing feud. “This was never about Edwin; it was a personal vendetta,” she asserted.
After months of legal battles and an appeal process utilizing this testimony, Edwin was finally declared innocent and released from Nyeri Maximum Security Prison on January 21, 2026. His plight was brought to light by journalist Simon Kibe, who highlighted his story on YouTube, drawing significant public attention to the case.
In an interview with NTV shortly after his release, Gathigi recounted the fateful day of the accusations. “I was at my grandmother's place for the holidays when my cousin called me into the sitting room. My grandmother claimed that my younger cousin had accused me of rape. I was in shock,” he recalled, overwhelmed by disbelief. He even offered to undergo medical testing to clear his name.
In the days following the accusation, Edwin found himself isolated. Attempts to defend himself were met with silence, and he was ultimately ambushed by police, with his aunt and grandmother present but failing to intervene. “None of them tried to correct the false claims,” he lamented, reflecting on the betrayal of those he trusted most.
James Mulamba: Former First Lady Margaret Kenyatta was pushing for the Beyond Zero campaign; the current First Lady prefers praying to solve our problems.
She praised herself that the rains were because of prayers...
#TheLastWordNTV@EricLatiff@Karanja_Ibrah
This guy needs urgent legal aid. He is an independent media guy with a YouTube channel who was documenting the protests on 18th May. He had nothing to do with the burning of cars.
Kenyan police allowed Arsenal fans to gather and disperse peacefully but they never allow the same youth to protest against the government without killing some
This is the last we saw of Prudence as she was being transferred from Mimosa Cottage Hoapital to KU. Prudence, 20 years young, did not make it. Prudence was not shot at the demonstrations crime scene. No.