25-year-old woman to serve 35 years in jail for husband's murder

Adults of sound mind should not use relationships as an excuse to terminate one’s life.

These were the words of Eldoret High Court Judge Reuben Nyakundi during the sentencing of a 25-year-old woman who was found guilty of the brutal murder of her husband.

Justice Nyakundi sentenced Dorcas Ntinyari to 35 years’ imprisonment for the murder of her husband and the father of their two children.

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The judge appealed to couples in toxic relationships in their marriage to be bold enough and move out for the sake of peace and harmony.

He regretted that cases of murder and gender-based violence affected partners are on the rise in the country noting that courts should not be lenient when it comes to handling such matters.

“Adults of sound mind should not use relationships as an excuse to take one's life. It doesn't matter how old the relationship is. Murder should never be excused. If a relationship is irretrievably broken the best thing to do is part ways,” the judge stated during the sentencing.

Nyakundi impressed upon the young men and women in marriage not to force themselves into relationships that are not working or are facing turbulence to the point of leading to death.

He advised them that they should instead make a choice of terminating the union when faced with such challenges in their marriages rather than hold themselves hostage to it.

“You (Ntinyari) did not have a good relationship with the deceased, but you continued to entertain him. If you sense danger in a relationship do not hold hostage. It is better to make a choice of moving out to save yourself from the lurking danger," held the presiding judge.

The judge added that it is better for couples to air out their frustrations on social media and get help from family and well-wishers rather than to plan to end their partner’s lives.

“You can even talk about your issues on WhatsApp or Facebook or any social media platform rather than thinking of killing a loved one. Murder does not in any way solve the challenges you are facing,” Nyakundi stated.

Ntinyari was charged with the murder of her estranged husband Felix Otieno in an incident that occurred on November 8, 2023, at Kipkaren estate in Kapseret sub-county, Uasin Gishu County.

The convict who was represented by Lawyer Tarigo Kiptoo had denied stabbing her husband to death.

During her defense, Ntinyari claimed that she stabbed Otieno in the chest in self-defense.

She claimed that her husband had followed her to her sister's house within the same estate where she had sought refuge following frequent domestic feuds.

Angered by her action, the deceased who was said to be drunk pursued his wife and demanded some of the items among them a phone and sandals that his wife had taken.

Upon being given the said items, the court heard that the deceased started to fight his wife as he demanded more items he claimed that she had refused to hand back to him.

It is at that juncture that the woman rushed to the kitchen and took a knife with which she stabbed her husband on the chest only once leading to his death on the spot.

In her mitigation, through her lawyer, the convict pleaded with the judge to have mercy on her saying that she acted in self-defense and that she had young children in need of her care.