A man who confessed to killing his wife in Kipkelion, Kericho County, in November last year, has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Paul Kipkemboi told the court that he killed his wife, Caroline Koech after an argument ensued between them.
Kipkemboi is said to have been angered by his wife who on the day of the incident went on a drinking spree neglecting their children.
The Kericho High Court Judge Asenath Ongeri was informed that the accused got home at around 9:30 pm from a circumcision ceremony and found his children had slept without taking supper and his wife was drunk.
“The accused was very annoyed with what the deceased had done but tried to control himself because it was a taboo among the Kalenjin to quarrel or fight during the circumcision period,” the court heard.
When Kipkemoi tried to question his wife, and a quarrel ensued between them with the deceased threatening to leave for her parent’s home. The verbal fight later escalated to a physical fight.
Postmortem exam revealed that the wife died of severe head injuries she obtained from the fight.
After killing his wife, Kipkemoi is said to have surrendered to the police and confessed to the crime.
In his mitigation, the accused told the court that he was remorseful and sought a non-custodial sentence since he had two young children to take care of.
The court, however, declined his request noting that non-custodial sentences would not be given to anyone involved in domestic violence.
The court said that he would give Kipkemoi a light sentence since he was a first offender and had saved the court’s time by pleading guilty to his crime.
“The court has taken into consideration mitigation circumstances and especially, the fact that the accused pleaded guilty to manslaughter and saved the court time for trial and also the fact that the accused person is a first offender,” the judge noted.
