Ruth Kamande, a convicted murderer serving time at Kamiti Maximum Prison, has graduated with a Law degree.
The ceremony, held on Wednesday, 27th November, celebrated inmates and wardens who completed their studies through the University of London.
In her speech, Kamande highlighted the transformative journey of studying while in prison.
“We are here to celebrate this new chapter with a new story which all of you have participated in rewriting. We are here to celebrate graduands,” she said.
“We are not only here to just celebrate graduands from the University of London but graduands who have successfully studied law behind bars. Graduands who are well transformed, rehabilitated, and reformed. Graduands whose stories have been uniquely rewritten by all of you.”
The event was organised by Justice Defenders, an NGO that provides legal training for inmates and prison wardens, equipping them to offer legal assistance within their communities. Other inmates and wardens also graduated during the ceremony.
Kamande gained public attention in 2016 when she was crowned Miss Lang’ata Women Prison beauty queen. However, her fame came with controversy. In 2018, she was convicted of murdering her boyfriend, Farid Mohammed, in 2015 by stabbing him 25 times.
During the trial, Kamande claimed she acted in self-defence after discovering Mohammed was HIV-positive and had raped her. She said he threatened to kill her to keep his status a secret.
“Mohammed told me that he would rather kill me and himself than have his status exposed because I realised he was HIV positive. I stabbed him severally using a kitchen knife, which fell on my chest from his hands after I overpowered him after putting my two thumbs in his eyes to save my life,”Kamande told the court.
However, the prosecution argued she acted with malice, pointing to the number and timing of the stab wounds. Justice Jessie Lesiit ruled that the attack was not self-defence but premeditated.
"It is clear from the prosecution evidence that the stabs were not done at a go, they were done in intervals,” the judge said.
A medical report presented in court also refuted Kamande’s claims of rape. Lesiit sentenced Kamande to death, stating the brutality of the crime justified the penalty.