Naftali Kinuthia has been sentenced to forty years in prison for the brutal killing of Ivy Wangeci.
The incident occurred on April 9, 2019, outside Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret.
Kinuthia confessed to have hacked his then-girlfriend with an axe, citing anger as the motive.
During the trial, Kinuthia revealed that their relationship started while in primary school which proceeded to high school.
He claimed to have spent a significant amount of money on Wangeci over the years, but she rejected him for being short.
“I was not happy when the deceased told me, through her close friend, that she did not love me because I was too short,” he said.
However,he also mentioned that she had hugged another man in front of him.
Kinuthia added that he had made money from him while knowing that their relationship had no future.
Kinuthia admitted to have provided financial support to Wangeci even when she was at distant.
He had spent over Sh 100,000 on her and had planned to reclaim it from her parents after realizing their love was fading.
On the day of the attack, he had sent her Sh 7,000 for her birthday, but she did not invite him to the party.
Kinuthia expressed hurt and anger when Wangeci told him she loved someone else and mocked him for his height.
In court, Kinuthia confessed that he lost control of himself when he saw Wangeci hugging another man.
“I could not stand that scenario. I lost control of myself and attacked her with my ax since I was out of my mind. I was completely out of myself ,” he said.
However, he expressed remorse for his actions and stated that he never intended to kill her.
Consequently, Kinuthia regretted the death of Ivy Wangeci, describing her as innocent.
“I forever regret the death of Ivy. She was innocent. There are so many ways we could have resolved our differences,” he said,
adding the ax was for defending himself, not killing her.
Therefore,he argued that he used the axe as a means of self-defense, not with the intention to take her life.
The court, presided over by Justice Stephen Githinji, found Kinuthia guilty of murder and sentenced him to forty years in prison.
