After spending 18 years in prison, Luli Adu Luli, also known as Adu Ibrahim Luli, has been released following a Court of Appeal ruling that declared his 2006 death sentence unlawful due to his age at the time of conviction.
Luli was convicted of robbery with violence at just 17 years old, but the trial court failed to recognize his status as a minor, denying him protections under the Children Act. The Court of Appeal, sitting in Malindi, acknowledged this critical oversight and ruled that sentencing him to death violated legal provisions for juveniles.
The robbery occurred in Mtomondoni, Mtwapa, where the complainant was attacked and robbed of personal belongings. Key evidence included recovered items and identification by the victim. Although the courts upheld the conviction, the appellate judges found that the original trial neglected essential juvenile justice procedures.
Justices Kibaya Laibuta, F. Ochieng, and Ngenye-Macharia substituted the death penalty with the time already served, citing the 18 years Luli had spent in custody as sufficient punishment. They ordered his immediate release, marking the end of a legal ordeal that began in his teenage years.
