Court Upholds Death Sentence Against Miss Lang’ata Women’s Prison

Court Upholds Death Sentence Against Miss Lang’ata Women’s Prison

The Court of Appeal on Friday, November 6, upheld the death sentence of Miss Lang’ata Women’s Prison Ruth Kamande.

In 2017, High Court Judge Jessie Lessit sentenced Kamande to death after she was found guilty of stabbing her boyfriend 22 times killing him instantly at Buruburu estate, Nairobi in September 2015.

Kamande would later appeal the sentence asking the Court of Appeal to overturn the ruling.

Through her lawyer, Kamande argued that she had reformed and “established a close relationship with God” since being taken into custody in 2015.

The court was told that she since converted to Islam and had become religious.

The court further heard that her stay in custody had streamlined her and she had even enrolled to study theology education at the prison.

“When arrested, the 21 years old then had just been enrolled at JKUAT to study Business, a dream which was shuttered by the circumstances here in,” submitted her advocate.

However, the prosecution opposed the defendant’s plea urging the court to uphold the death penalty for being arrogant during the trial.

“The 24-year-old then, whose life was cut short is an orphan and had a task of provide for the rest of the family members, hence justice should prevail,” said the prosecution counsel.

Kamande in her case told the court that things escalated after she discovered a hospital card which suggested that Mohammed was undergoing HIV treatment.

The beauty queen claimed that her boyfriend threatened to kill her if she revealed his HIV status to the public.

The argument then turned ugly when she discovered letters from two other women. She claimed she stabbed her boyfriend with a kitchen knife in her defense.