A Kisumu man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after being found guilty of causing the death of his wife, whom he had been married to for 18 years.
Justice Joe Omido of the High Court in Kisumu handed down the sentence to Jared Otieno Otieno after convicting him of manslaughter under Sections 202 and 205 of the Penal Code. Otieno had initially faced a murder charge under Sections 203 and 204 of the Penal Code in connection with the death of Caroline Aoko Onyango. The court was told that the incident occurred between November 9 and 10, 2022, at Nyalenya village in Muhoroni Sub-County, Kisumu County.
In his judgment, Justice Omido found that the prosecution had established beyond reasonable doubt that Onyango died after suffering blunt-force injuries to her head during an unlawful assault. However, the judge determined that the circumstances did not demonstrate that Otieno acted with malice, leading to the murder charge being reduced to manslaughter.
During the sentencing proceedings, prosecution counsel Mercy Mutheu Muema urged the court to impose a custodial sentence, highlighting the impact of the death on the couple’s four children. The prosecution argued that the children had been left psychologically distressed by the sudden loss of their mother. Muema also described the incident as an instance of gender-based violence within the family and said Otieno had failed in his responsibility to protect his family.
Justice Omido said he had weighed both the aggravating and mitigating factors presented before the court. He concluded that the circumstances surrounding the offence were sufficiently serious to warrant imprisonment. Otieno was consequently sentenced to 12 years behind bars. The court ordered that the sentence be calculated from November 23, 2022, the date he was first placed in remand custody.
The convict has 14 days to appeal the decision. :::
