A 30-year-old woman has been sentenced to three years in prison by the Kenol Law Courts after pleading guilty to neglecting her three children.
Peris Wambui appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate Sheila Nyaga on Tuesday charged with willfully neglecting her children contrary to the children’s act.
According to the prosecution Wambui, a resident of Ndorome village, Murang’a South Subcounty, on multiple days between September 18 and September 28,2025 left her children aged 7, 10 and 11 years without food and adult supervision, forcing her elderly mother to intervene and take care of them.
The accused also failed to provide for their basic needs resulting in their suffering.
The mother who had reported the matter to the children’s office testified that the accused person would leave the children in her care while she went drinking, sometimes returning home as late as 2am on multiple days.
Upon her return, Wambui would often create disturbance, insult the children and even beat them up, severely affecting them both emotionally and psychologically.
The court also heard that the accused person would always pick a rope and threaten to commit suicide whenever her mother confronted her about her actions.
Wambui pleaded guilty to the three counts of neglecting her children, and was convicted on her own plea of guilt.
In mitigation, she pleaded for leniency promising the court that she would change and take care of her children if given another chance.
However, Magistrate Nyaga ruled that neglecting children is a serious offence and sentenced her to three years in prison for each count (child) with the sentences set to run concurrently.
The court further granted her the right to appeal the ruling within 14 days.
By Florence Kinyua and Shem Kithinji
