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A woman was arraigned in a Mombasa court this week for conspiring to kill her husband over property worth millions of shillings.
The woman denied the charges before Mombasa Chief Magistrate Grace Shitubi.
Rose Adhiambo Raminya and her house help, Doris Akinyi, allegedly hired hitmen to kill Polycarp Okumu alias Kamili at Beach Road estate in Mombasa.
The court heard that the two and their accomplices conspired to kill Okumu on diverse dates between October 20 and 26. One of the alleged hired hitmen was James Odhiambo Wanyumba who was arrested in Rangwe, Homa Bay County.
Money for assassins
In a sworn affidavit presented to the court, Mombasa police claimed Adhiambo was found by Okumu at KCB Naivas branch in Nyali while withdrawing Sh1.2 million, with the intention of paying assassins allegedly from Kisumu, some of whom are on the run. Adhiambo is reported to have unsuccessfully tried to poison her husband previously.
Police Constable Dominic Kiptum said Adhiambo was arrested at the bank while trying to contact the alleged killers to pick the money. Kiptum added that Adhiambo had previously tried to poison her husband - with whom she has one child - but failed.
The constable told the court that the motive for the attempted murder could have been an attempt by the accused to inherit Okumu’s property, which is estimated to be worth millions of shillings. Reportedly, the police could not charge the woman and her house help pending further investigations.
Adhiambo is an estranged wife to Okumu who has investments in the security sector. In one of Okumu’s firms, Adhiambo is a managing director.
Further investigation
The two accused women denied the charges but did not object to the application to enable police complete their investigations.
But that is just one case. Cases of women plotting to kill their husbands and others who have murdered their spouses have been reported before, with most ending in courts.
In 2013 June, the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi was given a chilling narration of a plot by Faith Wairimu Maina who hired hitmen to kill her husband of 15 years.
Investigating officers told the court how Wairimu gave the hitmen a Sh40,000 down payment and demanded the bloodstained clothes of her husband as proof of his death before clearing the Sh160,000 balance.
Second murder attempt
It also emerged that the incident was the second time that Wairimu was attempting to have her husband, John Muthee, killed after an earlier attempt flopped. The case however was withdrawn by Muthee who said he had forgiven her wife for the sake of their children and family.
Wairimu had initially pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to kill after she was arrested, but later changed her plea to “not guilty” and was due to be prosecuted. The would-be assassins allegedly developed cold feet despite having accepted Sh40,000 from Wairimu.
Muthee is a businessman who sells macadamia. Wairimu pleaded guilty to hatching the plot to kill the father of her two children and paying the money when she was arraigned before Principal Magistrate Patrick Ndegwa.
Stabbed to death
Back in 2008, Nisha Sapra, a pharmacist, was charged before a Nairobi court for allegedly killing her husband, Yogesh Madan Sapra, who was the director of Maya Duty Free Shop at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Sapra died as a result of injuries inflicted using a knife.
The court heard that a farewell party was organised at Sapra’s residence for one of their relatives who was travelling abroad. Their son testified then that he saw his dad hit Nisha when she grabbed a knife and stabbed him.
In 2013, Janet Karamana Gituma was sentenced with five others to 30 years in prison for killing her husband. Alongside Evans Obangi Otwori, Clement Munyao Katiku, Andrew Muua Kimomo, Antony Muthii Mati and Peter Maina Kibe, the woman was found guilty of murdering Moses Mbaabu Gituma.
The court papers read that on the 23rd day of October, 2009, at Garden estate in Nairobi, they murdered Moses Mbaabu Gituma.
Story not adding up
“After viciously hacking the deceased, one of the assailants came from the bedroom upstairs. The assailant informed Janet that they had finished the job.
The four assailants then left in the car belonging to the deceased with Janet behind the wheels. The deceased had come home in the same car about 1.46am and had been given gate pass No. 255. Thirty four minutes later, the same car was again leaving Garden estate with Janet at the wheels. The gate pass surrendered was 257. This did not add up.
Evans had omitted vital details of the car and the occupants. In particular, he missed to enter the name of the driver who was Janet, not to mention the anomaly that the gate pass surrendered was 257 instead of 255,” read Judge Nicholas Ombija’s judgement.
