A young man who pleaded guilty to murdering his sister, then a fourth year student at JKUAT early this year was on Thursday sentenced to three years imprisonment after the charge was reduced to manslaughter.
Charles Kibe Mwaura had earlier been charged that on 25th January this year at Kahawa Sukari in Ruiru sub-county within Kiambu County, he murdered Grace Nduta Mwaura contrary to section 203 as read with section 204 of the penal code.
He appeared before Kiambu Judge Justice Joel Ngugi and pleaded not guilty but later on 21st June, 2017 the prosecution and the defense appeared before court and pleaded for a plea agreement. On this day, he pleaded guilty subject to the plea agreement which reduced the offence to manslaughter.
The court approved the plea agreement and after duly complying with sections 137D and 137H of the criminal procedure code convicted the 24 year old graduate of Commerce degree from JKUAT on his own plea.
The facts of the case are that on the 25th January 2017 at around 11.30a.m., the accused and his sister Grace Nduta (deceased) were left at their home alone when their parents left for work. The accused then went to their dining room where he came across cereals prepared in a bowl with milk and he ate them and went back upstairs.
Later, the sister angrily called him accusing him of having eaten her cereals which she had prepared for breakfast. The accused apologized and told her since there was some cereals still remaining, she could prepare some more.
The court heard that the deceased did not take the apologies and instead started insulting him using vulgar language. The two went on abusing one another for a while until the deceased went into the kitchen and took a knife with which she threatened to stab the accused.
During the struggle, he blocked the knife with his left hand and in the process got cut. After he realized that the deceased meant business, he also ran into the kitchen and took a kitchen knife to scare her away but she continued with the confrontation.
