The wheels of justice in the gruesome murder of 7-year-old Tamara Blessing have taken another dramatic turn. Nicholas Julius Macharia, the prime suspect accused of defiling, killing, and burying the young girl under his bed in Nyeri, has told the High Court that he wants to plead guilty—for the second time.

The announcement stunned the courtroom in Nyeri on Thursday. Macharia, a porter at Nyeri Town Market, had initially pleaded guilty when he first appeared in June 2025. However, the court had ordered a mental assessment and a "cooling off" period to ensure he understood the gravity of the charges. When he returned in July, he changed his plea to "not guilty," setting the stage for a full trial. Now, just as the prosecution was ready to call its first witnesses, Macharia has flipped the script again.

"Read the Charges Afresh"

Through his lawyer Mahugu Mbarire, Macharia requested Justice Magare Kizito to have the charges read afresh. "In readiness for the hearing, I had conferred with my client and we are requesting for the information to be read again because he is intending to change his plea," Mbarire told the hushed court. The weight of the evidence, or perhaps the weight of conscience, seems to have finally caught up with him.

The details of the crime remain etched in the minds of Nyeri residents. Tamara went missing on May 24, 2025, while playing near her mother’s grocery stall. Two days later, a foul smell led police to Macharia’s rental house in the Witemere slums. There, beneath his bed, they found the shallow grave that held the body of the innocent child.

• The Legal Process: Justice Kizito has pushed the matter to February 9 to allow the new state prosecutor, Mr. Kihara, to acquaint himself with the complex file. If Macharia pleads guilty, the court will move directly to sentencing, skipping a traumatic trial for the family.
• The Sentence: Murder carries a maximum sentence of death in Kenya (often commuted to life imprisonment), but a guilty plea could be a mitigating factor. However, given the heinous nature of the crime involving a minor, the public is clamoring for the harshest possible penalty.
• The Family's Pain: For Tamara’s mother, the legal ping-pong extends the agony. Every court appearance forces her to relive the nightmare of losing her daughter to a man she knew as a casual laborer in the market.

Justice Delayed?

Legal experts argue that the court’s initial hesitation to accept the first guilty plea was procedurally correct to prevent a future appeal based on "insanity" or coercion. However, for the community in Witemere, the technicalities mean little. They want closure. They want to know that the monster who hid a child under his bed will never walk their streets again.

As Macharia returns to the remand cells to wait for February 9, the ghost of Tamara Blessing continues to demand an answer. Will this plea finally stick, or is it another delay tactic in a case that has already broken too many hearts?