By Patrick Mathangani
Reconciliation has been cited as one of the best ways to deal with violence at home.
Dr Catherine Syengo Mutisya, a consultant psychiatrist, however, says that for killers to be set free and reconciled with family members, it must be proved that they have completely recovered and will not kill again.
She says when suspects are first referred to Mathari Hospital in Nairobi, they undergo psychiatric examinations to establish their state of mind. Under Kenyan law, anyone who commits murder must undergo a psychiatric test before being put to trial.
“It is assumed that for you to pick a weapon and kill someone, you are not well,” said Mutisya.
Many who kill close family members are found to be depressed, or to be psychotic. This is a serious mental illness where patients are unable to control their mental faculties.
Others are paranoid and kill because they have an uncontrollable fear that some people want to harm them. Yet, others are found to be mentally retarded.
These people are then put under medication and care, which includes counselling, she says.
Help at the hospital starts with an assessment, where doctors and nurses assist the patient to cope with stress.
If one is found guilty and it is established that they are of unsound mind, they are confined to be released under the ‘president’s pleasure’, according to the law. One is then admitted to Mathari Hospital for medication.
They can only be released after three years of continuous medication and observation.
But a special board comprising a psychiatrist, a psychologist, nurses, social workers, a probation officer and officials from the directorate of public prosecutions must first review the case.
