Maxine Murigo Wahome made a name for herself in Kenyan rallying while still young. Born on December 21, 1997, she came from a motorsport family—the daughter of retired rally driver Jimmy Wahome and the sister of driver Jeremy Wahome. She started with motocross, moved into autocross, then full rallying. In 2022, she won the first Lioness Rally in Kasarani, then became the first Kenyan woman to win the WRC3 class at the Safari Rally in Naivasha with co-driver Waigwa Murage. Many people saw her as one of Kenya’s top young talents.
Her boyfriend, Asad Khan, 50, had been around the rally scene for years. Their relationship grew out of their shared love for the sport, but they mostly kept their personal life out of the spotlight, even though many in the community knew they were together.
Things blew up during the night of December 11 into the early hours of December 12, 2022, at Preston Apartments on Oloitoktok Road in Kileleshwa.
Maxine said she got home around 3 a.m., and an argument started right away. She told the court Asad got angry, told her to get out, and hit her. She went out onto the balcony and closed the glass door. According to her, Asad kicked the glass in anger, badly slicing his right leg and cutting his Achilles tendon. He started bleeding heavily and tried to crawl for help.
A neighbor, Hassan Oyugi, said he heard the shouting. He testified that Asad yelled, “Mbwa, toka kwa hii nyumba!” (You dog, get out of this house!), and Maxine answered, “Nitatoka” (I will leave).
Maxine stayed at the apartment after calling her parents, who told her to wait for the police.
Asad was rushed to Nairobi Hospital, then transferred to Avenue Hospital. He had lost a lot of blood and was in bad shape. While being treated, he developed septicemia from the injuries. About a week later, on December 19, 2022, he died from multiple organ failure and cardiac arrest.
Asad’s brother, Adil Khan, reported the incident to the police, accusing Maxine of assaulting him. She was arrested on December 12.
No one actually saw Maxine hit Asad. Some neighbors said Asad was the one being aggressive that night. Maxine stuck to her story that he hurt himself by kicking through the glass while she was trying to get away from him. Witnesses, and even the investigating officer, mentioned past claims of abusive behavior by Asad. Asad’s wife left him over his abusive behavior. Before Maxine, he had already gone through five failed relationships.
She was first charged with causing grievous bodily harm, then the charge was upgraded to murder after he died in March 2023.
Maxine has always denied it, saying the injury was self-inflicted during the fight. Her defense, led by Senior Counsel Philip Murgor, argued there was no direct evidence against her, pointed out holes in the police investigation, and said investigators faced pressure to pursue a murder case.
The whole thing split public opinion, hit both families hard, and shook the rallying community. Maxine’s career took a big hit—she was dropped from the WRC Young Rally Stars program. Asad’s family grieved the loss of a longtime figure in the sport who died after a domestic fight.
The prosecution claimed Maxine caused the fatal injuries. The defense said Asad inflicted the injuries on himself in a rage and that the medical complications ultimately caused his death.
The case was still before the High Court, presided over by Justice Lilian Mutende. Maxine continued to deny the murder charge and insisted she was innocent. The trial had dragged on for nearly three years, with the prosecution wrapping up its witnesses in late 2025.
