A 31-year-old Kisumu man has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for killing his aunt following a domestic dispute.
Kisumu High Court Judge Joe M. Omido found Kevin Omondi Nyapietho guilty of murdering Gaudencia Otieno Aoko on February 21, 2023, at Kapuonja Sub-location in Kisumu West Sub-County. The prosecution, led by Counsel Mercy Mutheu Muema, called six witnesses during the trial, including a pathologist who established that Aoko died from a severe head injury caused by multiple lacerative wounds.
The court heard that Nyapietho confronted Aoko and her two children during supper, accusing them of planning to poison him. He subsequently left the house and locked them inside. Nyapietho later returned and broke down the door after one of his cousins had locked it from inside. He then attacked Aoko with a jembe, striking her on the shoulder and head with its sharp edge.
Aoko had taken Nyapietho into her home after he was orphaned following the death of his parents and had assumed a parental role in his life.
After considering the evidence presented by the prosecution, Justice Omido ruled that Nyapietho was responsible for the assault that caused Aoko’s death. The judge found that the prosecution had proved all the essential elements of murder beyond reasonable doubt and convicted Nyapietho under Section 203 of the Penal Code.
The court sentenced him to 35 years in prison and informed him of his right to appeal against both the conviction and sentence within 14 days.
