Kilifi Man Jailed 30 Years for Killing Wife Over Instagram Dispute

Robai Ludenyi

What began as a simple decision to join Instagram ended in heartbreak, bloodshed, and a prison sentence that will last three decades.

The High Court sitting in Mombasa has sentenced 40-year-old Murad Awadh Mbaraka to 30 years behind bars for the brutal killing of his wife, Nuru Ibrahim, in Majengo Kanamai, Kilifi County. The court found that the murder followed repeated domestic quarrels over Nuru’s use of Instagram the arguments that had slowly poisoned their marriage.

According to evidence presented before the court, tension had been building in the home for some time. Friends and relatives testified that Mbaraka strongly opposed his wife’s presence on social media. What Nuru saw as harmless online interaction, her husband viewed with suspicion and anger. The disagreements grew louder and more frequent.On the night of June 19, 2022, those arguments turned deadly.

The court heard that the couple’s children were inside the house when the attack happened. Their 11-year-old daughter later told investigators she woke up to her mother’s desperate screams for help. Neighbours rushed toward the house after hearing the commotion, but they were unable to stop what was unfolding inside.

When police arrived, they found Nuru lifeless. Forensic investigators recovered a knife stained with blood and broken pieces of a baby cot believed to have been used during the violent assault. Clothing belonging to Mbaraka was also stained with his wife’s blood, forming key evidence in the case.

During the trial, the defence suggested that an unknown intruder could have committed the crime. However, the court dismissed that claim after hearing testimony from ten witnesses, including neighbours and family members who described a troubled marriage marked by jealousy and control.

While delivering the judgment, Justice Wendy Kagendo Micheni described the killing as deliberate and cruel. She noted that domestic disagreements, no matter how intense, can never justify violence. The judge said the 30-year sentence reflects the seriousness of the crime and the pain inflicted on the family, especially the children who witnessed their mother’s final moments.

Mbaraka has 14 days to appeal the decision. Until then, and unless overturned, he will spend the next three decades in prison as a heavy price for a moment of rage that destroyed a family forever.

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