A Malindi father who beat his one-year-old daughter to death for refusing to walk will now spend 25 years in jail after being found guilty of the offence of murder.
Maoja Charo Ngowa a resident of Mulungu Mawe village beat his one year one month child who he was teaching to walk and she sustained injuries that were fatal.
In a judgement delivered on Monday, Justice Reuben Nyakundi found Charo guilty and sentenced him to 25 years in jail
Charo was charged in 2017 with the offence of murder following the death of his daughter due to the injuries inflicted by him.
Justice Nyakundi said from evidence, there was ill motive demonstrating concrete evidence to support the fact that the child was assaulted as she was assisted to learn how to walk.
“Surely the father out of good will offered to assist the deceased to learn how to walk but in the course of the training he turned his wrath against her with stick and trauma inflicting the fatal injuries,” the court ruled.
The court further said the substantial injuries were unjustified to a toddler aged one year and one month.
“The deceased died as a consequence of violent acts of maim inflicted on her by the accused,” the judge ruled.
Justice Nyakundi further noted that all eye witnesses including his eldest daughter had testified that they saw Charo beating the toddler and even dragged her on the ground at some point.
“PW1, PW2, & PW3 evidence with certainty confirms that they saw the accused assaulting the deceased using a stick and in addition pulled and dragged her along the scene,” the court ruled.
The court said it handed him the 25 years imprisonment because of the gravity of the crime and age of the victim further adding that Charo should have protected the minor as her caregiver.
In his defence, Charo had denied the ever committing the crime saying he taught her how to walk but didn’t assault her but the court dismissed it saying there was strong evidence including post-mortem which showed she was beaten.
