Missing Kenyan woman’s American boyfriend was imprisoned for 9 years in the US.

The primary suspect in the abduction of a Kenyan woman in the US, Mr. Nathan Hightman, an American citizen, was given a sentence of up to nine years in jail for financial and intellectual offences.

Mr. Hightman was Ms. Irene Gakwa’s fiancé; she vanished in March 2022 and hasn’t been seen since.

Mr. Hightman, 39, came before Judge James Causey on Wednesday morning (June 14, 2023) and was punished for theft after using Ms. Gakwa’s credit card without authorization.

According to County 17, “Mr Hightman faces three to six years of concurrent prison time, with credit served for 81 days in Campbell County’s detention center, and a probation term with a suspended sentence of two to three years.”

Hightman is also required to pay Sh700,000, and Mr. Kennedy Wainaina, Ms. Gakwa’s brother, shall receive the money.

Dallas Lamb, the suspect’s defense counsel, begged the judge to lighten the punishment. The attorney argued that when it came to sentence, the court should concentrate on the “objective reality,” or the crimes for which his client had been found guilty, rather than the “subjective reality,” or the prevailing culture.

The defense attorney requested that the court sentence his client to two to five years of supervised suspended probation, two to five years of supervised probation with time served for two of the counts, and two to five years of mental health therapy.

The attorney added that his client had remained in the neighborhood, was helpful to law enforcement, and had complied with the conditions of his bond.

“The one who needs protecting is Nathan Hightman,” the lawyer said.

On May 11, 2022, Mr. Hightman was detained by authorities in connection with the disappearance of Ms. Gakwa.

At that time, the Gillete Police Department said that Hightman had been detained for various offences, including two counts of stealing Gakwa’s intellectual property and one for unauthorized use of her credit card.