Mother's plea fails to save her children who murdered sibling

Odhiambo and Ouma were convicted on July 28 of the murder of Owino on January 13, 2023. [iStockphoto]

A court has sentenced two siblings to 25 years in jail for killing their brother.

The court set aside a mother’s plea to spare her two children a custodial sentence.

Janet Oyoso, whose son was killed on allegations of stealing a bicycle, had expressed to the court that she would suffer double tragedy should her children, convicted of the murder of their brother, be sent to prison.

In a pre-sentencing report filed on October 3, 2023, Oyoso said she was yet to heal from the death of her son a year ago. Subjecting her other children to a custodial sentence would hurt her more, she told the court.

“The mother of the convicts and the dead man prays for leniency, saying the murder robbed her of a son,” reads the report filed by the Busia probation department.

The report recommended a non-custodial sentence for the two, characterising the dead man as one who the community held as having “an undesirable character”.

Justice William Musyoka said the probation report was not binding in the face of the gruesome crime that had been committed by the two convicts Sabina Odhiambo and Geoffrey Ouma.

He said the character of the deceased, Collins Owino, was one to be checked through the justice system. 

Odhiambo and Ouma were convicted on July 28 of the murder of Owino on January 13, 2023.