A mother of six was yesterday sentenced to serve three years’ imprisonment by a Kabarnet Law Court after she was found guilty of killing her estranged husband following a disagreement over greetings.
Nancy Jeruto was convicted of manslaughter by Chief Magistrate Judith Wanjala on charges of killing her 40-year-old husband Joseph Kapteto on November 12, 2021 at Loboi village, Marigat Sub-County.
Jeruto had denied killing Kapteto and told the court that she hit her husband with a stone on the head in self-defense leading to him fainting after the deceased had vowed to kill her during a fight.
The court was told that the couple who had separated engaged in a fight on the material day when the deceased met the accused on the road and offered her greetings which she snubbed hence angering the deceased who pursued her to her relative’s home where she was residing and assaulted her.
Rose Sitienei, a visually impaired relative of the accused testified that a fight ensued at her home when the deceased came to pursue his estranged wife after he tried to greet the accused person but she refused to greet him leading to the fight.
“I heard a commotion as they fought and later a vehicle came to carry away a person to Marigat Sub-County hospital whom I later learnt was the deceased who was seriously injured,” Sitienei said.
Augustine Chesire, a brother to the deceased said he was called after the fight and found his brother bleeding profusely from the back of his head and rushed him to Marigat Sub-County hospital where he was later referred to Baringo County Referral hospital but succumbed on the way.
Government pathologist Wangari Wambugu, attached to Baringo County Referral hospital in her statement revealed that the cause of death was acute head injury due to blunt force trauma following assault, saying the deceased had a wound on the left side of the head and bruises on the left leg.
Chief Magistrate Judith Wanjala in her judgement found the accused unsuitable for probation sentence having considered the probation and children officers’ reports.
“The charges against the accused are not suitable for a probation sentence and after considering the prosecution evidence I sentence the accused to three years imprisonment from the date of arrest with 14 days right of appeal,” Wanjala said.
The accused is held at the Kabarnet GK prison.
