An inmate at the Nyeri’s King’ong’o Prison has been sentenced to seven years in jail over the killing of his roommate.
Justice Florence Muchemi ruled that the prosecution had proved that Peter Mwangi caused the death of his roommate Peterson Mwandia alias Kamure on November 19, 2019, at the maximum prison section.
The inmates were serving life sentences after they were found guilty of robbery with violence.
Kahawa Tungu understands that Mwangi was acquitted last year after a succeful appeal.
He was, however, arrested again and charged with the murder of Mwandia.
The prosecution later reduced the murder charge to manslaughter after the accused entered accepted a plea bargain deal.
While delivering the judgment, Justice Muchemi noted that the accused admitted to causing the death of Mwandia in the deal that he signed.
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The Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions had recommended a five-year jail term.
The accused, through his lawyer Gichuki, requested for a non-custodial sentence arguing that the inmate had been in jail since 2012.
The lawyer told the court that sending his client to jail would deny him the chance to integrate and be useful to society.
“Besides, he is remorseful and regrets the death of his cellmate,” said the lawyer.
The judge, however, dismissed the lawyer’s non-custodial sentence request saying the deceased’s family had suffered psychological and emotional stress due to the loss of their kin.
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“The court cannot lose sight of the fact that the family of the deceased must have suffered psychological and emotional stress due to the loss of a loved one,” said the judge while handing Mwangi a seven-year jail term.
A postmortem report tabled in court revealed that Mwandia had died of strangulation.
Sergeant Gladys Karaya, who investigated the matter, told the court that the deceased had been strangled using a blue bedsheet.
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On the night of November 18, 2019, when Mwandia died, Mwangi told the investigator that they had taken a drug called Cosmos before retiring to bed.
The accused claimed to have found the body of Mwandia the following day with a bed sheet tied around the neck before alerting prison officers.
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