A Kenyan-born US Army staff sergeant has been sentenced to 26 years in prison after pleading guilty to killing his wife during a domestic dispute at their Texas home earlier this year.
According to news reports, Staff Sgt. John Gitau Mwangi admitted to the unpremeditated murder of his wife, US Army Sgt. Esther Gitau, during a court-martial held on Friday, December 12, at the Lawrence Williams Judicial Center.
The military judge also ordered Mwangi to forfeit all pay and allowances, reduced his rank to E-1, and handed him a dishonorable discharge from the service.
Mwangi, an aircraft structural repairer assigned to the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, will serve his sentence at the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
The court heard that on February 21, Mwangi and his wife were involved in an argument at their home in Killeen, Texas, which escalated into violence.
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Army officials said Mwangi shot Gitau multiple times before leaving the residence with her locked inside the primary bedroom.
After the shooting, Mwangi drove away from the home and called his brother, informing him of what had happened.
The brother then alerted authorities, who later arrived at the residence and found Gitau’s body inside the house.
Military police arrested Mwangi the following day as he attempted to enter Fort Hood.
Local law enforcement notified investigators from the Army Criminal Investigation Division, who recovered blood, DNA, and other evidence from the scene.
Mwangi was formally charged with unpremeditated murder on April 2.
Lt. Col. William Wicks, a prosecutor with the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel, described the loss suffered by the victim’s family and the wider military community.
"A soldier, a mother, a sister, Sgt. Esther Gitau, was tragically taken away by the accused’s actions. Today was the first step toward obtaining justice for Sgt. Gitau," he said.
On the other hand, Special Agent in Charge Lane Allen of the Army CID Central Texas Field Office said the outcome sends a firm message.
"While no sentence can undo the harm caused or restore what was taken, today’s outcome sends a clear message that our justice system will not waiver in pursuit of those who commit such tragic acts," he stated.
This comes a month after police in Tanzania arrested 30-year-old Charles Onkuri Ongeta, a dual citizen of Kenya and the US.
In a statement on Sunday, November 16, Tanzanian police said Ongeta was arrested at the Sirari border with four hand grenades while attempting to enter Tanzania.
The Tanzanian police also noted that Ongeta who holds the rank of a sergeant in the US Army was apprehended at around 12 noon.
"The Tarime Rorya Regional Police today, November 16, 2025, at around 12:00 PM, arrested Charles Onkuri Ongeta, 30, a dual citizen of the United States and Kenya, at the Tanzania–Kenya border point in Sirari.
"Ongeta, a U.S. Army soldier holding the rank of Sergeant, was found with four CS M68 hand-thrown grenades as he attempted to enter Tanzania from Kenya in a Toyota Land Cruiser with registration number KDP 502 Y," read part of the statement.
The police noted that Tanzania strictly prohibits the entry of explosives, and even with a permit request, he would not have been allowed to bring them into the country.
