What appeared to be a loving marriage between two successful professionals ended in one of Kenya’s most disturbing domestic violence cases, leaving two young boys without their mother and their father behind bars.
Rhoda Mumbi Mutua and Nicholas Cheruiyot Koskei first met in 2008 while working at the United Nations offices in Nairobi. Rhoda was an intern at the time, while Koskei was already employed there. Their friendship blossomed into a relationship, and they eventually married. Together, they built what many believed was an enviable life and welcomed two sons, born in 2012 and 2014.
However, beneath the picture-perfect image, cracks had already begun to appear.
According to evidence presented during the trial, tensions surfaced after Koskei introduced Rhoda to his family. She was from the Meru community, and the marriage reportedly faced opposition from some of his relatives because of her ethnicity. Despite the resistance, the couple remained together and largely avoided frequent visits to the village.
As the years passed, Rhoda’s career flourished. She secured permanent employment at the United Nations and earned a stable income. The couple enjoyed financial success, driving expensive vehicles and taking luxurious vacations. To outsiders, they appeared to have the ideal family.
Behind closed doors, however, the marriage was deteriorating.
Court proceedings revealed that Koskei had become involved in extramarital relationships, causing repeated conflict within the marriage. Rhoda eventually decided she had had enough and began the process of seeking a divorce. The separation would have involved the division of matrimonial property, a development prosecutors argued Koskei was unwilling to accept.
In what the court later concluded was a carefully planned act, Koskei organized what he described as a special birthday getaway for Rhoda at Jacaranda Elementaita Lodge in Gilgil. He allegedly presented the trip as an opportunity to celebrate her birthday and possibly repair their strained relationship.
Evidence presented during the trial showed that, while making the reservation, Koskei specifically requested a room with a bathtub. The couple travelled from Nairobi to the lodge, spending part of the day taking photographs together that portrayed them as a happy couple. Some of those images were later shared on social media.
That evening, tragedy struck.
The prosecution proved that Rhoda was attacked inside their hotel room and died from mechanical strangulation. After her death, her body was placed in the bathtub in what investigators said was an attempt to make it appear that she had accidentally drowned.
Koskei later raised the alarm, claiming he had found his wife dead in the bathtub. However, hotel employees who testified in court said the bathroom floor and bathtub were dry, raising immediate suspicion about his account.
A post-mortem examination conducted by three pathologists found no water in Rhoda’s lungs, ruling out drowning as the cause of death. Instead, forensic evidence revealed severe injuries to her neck consistent with strangulation. A report from the Government Chemist also found no drugs, sedatives, or alcohol in her body, contradicting Koskei’s claim that she had overdosed before drowning.
The court also heard evidence that Koskei allegedly attempted to influence the post-mortem findings by offering a bribe to a government pathologist. The pathologist refused and reported the matter to investigators.
The prosecution further relied on testimony from the travel agent who arranged the booking, confirming that Koskei had specifically requested a room with a bathtub days before the trip—evidence that supported the conclusion that the murder had been planned in advance.
On 4 March 2025, the High Court found Nicholas Cheruiyot Koskei guilty of the premeditated murder of Rhoda Mumbi Mutua. Justice Richard Mwongo ruled that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
Although the offence carried the possibility of the death penalty, the judge sentenced Koskei to 30 years in prison. In delivering the sentence, the court noted that the couple’s two sons had already suffered the devastating loss of their mother and that imposing the death penalty would have left them without both parents.
The case remains a painful reminder that domestic violence can exist even in families that appear successful and happy from the outside. It also underscores the importance of taking warning signs in abusive relationships seriously before they escalate into irreversible tragedy.
