A 27-year-old man was on Tuesday sentenced to serve two-year imprisonment by a Murang’a court after he was found guilty of assaulting and threatening to kill his elder brother.
Peter Munene Karanja was accused of hitting his brother Kenneth Wakaburi with a jembe and threatening to kill him on January 11, 2023 at Yamugwe village in Kahuro Sub County.
In his testimony, Wakaburi told the court that on the said date, his brother appeared at his home armed with a jembe, where he hit him on the left hip and knee threatening to kill him with his wife.
The complainant said he raised an alarm attracting neighbours who rushed to the scene and rescued him from his brother.
On his part the area assistant chief testified that the accused is well known in the village and he has a bad reputation in the community.
The administrator opposed the accused’s plea to be granted a non-custodial sentence saying his release back in the community is a threat to his brother.
The probation officer Teresiah Nchogu in her report also opposed Munene’s release indicating that allowing him to return to the community would lead to more offences and violence.
Senior Resident Magistrate Eric Musambai said the prosecution successfully proved the charges, and the court found Munene guilty of both counts of threatening to kill and assaulting the victim, sentencing him one-year imprisonment for each count.
In his defence, Munene expressed remorse, saying he deeply regretted his actions and pleaded for leniency.
The magistrate acknowledged the accused’s mitigation and took into consideration the period Munene had already spent in remand, which will be deducted from the total period of sentence.
Considering your mitigation, the period you’ve been in custody will be subtracted from your sentence.” remarked Musambai.
By Bernard Munyao and Catherine Kamunyo
