Former Lang’ata Women’s Prison beauty queen Ruth Kamande has been sentenced to death for killing her boyfriend, Farid Mohammed in 2015.
Justice Jesse Lessit passed the sentenced after finding Kamande guilty of murdering Mohammed in Buruburu estate, Nairobi county in September 2015.
The judge convicted Kamande saying the prosecution has proved its case beyond any reasonable doubt.
In her ruling, the judge said she was convinced that the accused was not remorseful during trial adding that she found that she was manipulative and controlling in her relationship.
Lessit said the sentence imposed against Kamande will serve as a stern warning to the youth who kill with impunity.
“Considering that the offence was a gender based violence, I want young people to know that they should not kill their partners, rather, they should walk away from the relationship and forgive,” said Lessit.
She added that if she was to issue any other sentence than the one prescribe for murder offences, the convict would consider herself a hero.
“I therefore see no other sentence for this matter than the one prescribe by law. I therefore sentence the accused person to death,” ruled Lessit.
The judge said although the Supreme Court held that death sentence is not mandatory, Kamande did not deserve mercy.
Lessit noted that Mohammed died as a result of multiple injuries inflicted by the convict.
She said that the deceased’s family, friends and relatives are yet to come to terms with the death.
In her mitigation, the convict pleaded with the court to hand her a lenient jail sentence arguing that she had established a close relationship with God while in remand and even converted to Muslim.
Kamande, during her defence hearing, confessed that she stabbed her boyfriend 22 times with a kitchen knife.
The 24-year-old, who has been in Lang’ata Women’s remand since 2015, had told the court that things escalated after she discovered a hospital card which suggested that Mohammed was undergoing HIV treatment.
The convict, who had just been enrolled at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (Jkuat) to study a bachelors degree in Business Information Technology, further defended herself saying when she confronted Mohammed about his HIV status, he threatened her saying they would rather both die than have his HIV status known to the public.
The judge further noted that it was clear from the evidence that the accused stabbed the deceased once at time and declined plea by the neighbours who responded to a distress call by Mohammed.
“Stabs were not at a go. They were done in intervals. This is clear from the prosecution evidence,” said Lessit.
Speaking to reporters following the sentencing, the victim’s aunt, Emmah Wanjiku said the family was glad justice had finally been served.
“Anybody who thinks there’s no justice, there’s justice for victims and that’s what we were hoping for today,” said Wanjiku.