Convicted murderer Joseph Kuria Irungu is among Kenyan prisoners granted clemency by president William Ruto in May 2025, according to graphics and a screenshot of a Kenya Gazette notice circulating on social media. The Kenya Gazette is the government’s official publication.
“Joseph Irungu, alias Jowie, among 57 prisoners pardoned by President Ruto under Power of Mercy Act, he was sentenced to death in Feb 2024 for murder of businesswoman Monica Kimani,” one of the graphic reads.
They include the logos of the Standard and TV channel KTN News Kenya, which are both owned by the Standard Group.
Irungu, also known as “Jowie”, was accused of murdering entrepreneur Monica Kimani by slitting her throat in Nairobi in September 2018 – a crime that shocked the nation. After an emotionally charged trial, he was found guilty and sentenced to death in February 2024.
His ex-fiancé and former TV presenter Jacque Maribe, who was also a suspect in the murder, was acquitted.
Article 133 of the constitution of Kenya allows the president to grant a free or conditional pardon to a person convicted of an offence, in accordance with the advice of an advisory committee.
The claim has been posted here and here. (Note: See more instances listed at the end of this report.)
But has Irungu been pardoned? We checked.
Africa Check searched for the circulating gazette notice, which appears to be the source of the claim, and found it. The notice, dated 8 May, contains the names of...
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