Man murders mistress to avoid paying child upkeep

A man from Trans Nzoia County who killed a lady whom he had sired a child with in 2012 has been sentenced to 25 years in prison by the High court in Kitale after he was found guilty of the offense.

The court heard that Samson Kamau Njoroge murdered Alice Wangui Kamau and dumped her body in a borehole in his compound at Naisambu on the night of May 9 and 10, 2012 at Naisambu area to evade her demands for child upkeep.

On the fateful night, Kamau had attended a court case where the deceased wanted him to be compelled to take care of a son born in 2008 as a result of their secret relationship.

The deceased went missing on that night upon which she made distress calls to her family indicating that she had been kidnapped and was being raped repeatedly. This prompted a search by police.

“She sent me a text on my phone saying she had been kidnapped and was being raped by the kidnapper who had tied her,” the deceased’s aunt Eunice Wairimu told the court.

Kamau’s maid, Veronica Njeri told the court that his employer did not spent the night at home on the fateful day only to arrive early in the morning. He then sent her to the shop.

“When I returned, I found him washing clothes which he never did during my two-year stay at the homestead. He later washed his car and left for work without it,” said Ms Njeri.

She went on to state that police officers later came to the homestead in search of his employer, a matter she referred to the wife who instead told her to directly inform her husband on phone of the development.

“His wife and I later became curious when we realized the borehole at the compound had a new padlock on May 13, 2012. He was later arrested the following night. He returned the following morning with police officers who retrieved the deceased’s body from the borehole,” said Ms Njeri.

In his defense, Kamau denied involvement in the murder saying the reason he did not spent a night at his homestead on the fateful night was because he was very drunk and could not drive.

“I went home in the morning and decided to wash my clothes since they were very muddy,” said Kamau.

In his judgment Justice Hillary Chemitei said circumstantial evidence tabled before court had linked Mr. Kamau to the heinous act since the deceased’s body was retrieved in his compound.