A 23 year old man has been sentenced to a 45-year custodial sentence after he was convicted of brutally murdering his younger brother and a nephew using crude weapons in Kisumu County.
The High Court sitting in Kisumu convicted and sentenced Arnold Ochieng Omollo on a plea of guilty of his own volition to two counts of murder, having been cautioned several times regarding the maximum penalties for the offence of murder.
The court heard that between 25th and 26th November 2024, Ochieng killed the two children, both below the age of ten, while they were sleeping in a brutal and premeditated manner, using crude weapons at Kamango Village in Awach Sublocation, Nyakach Subcounty, Kisumu County.
The postmortem examination conducted on the two bodies determined that the two died from severe head injuries due to penetrating brain cuts. The injuries are linked to the suspected murder weapons recovered from the scene, including a metallic hoe and a wooden hoe handle.
According to the prosecution, the accused killed his brother Aaron Smith Omollo and nephew Jayson Havi, both minors who were vulnerable and unable to defend themselves, and hence urged the court to impose a stiff punishment.
The prosecution further submitted that the accused person, who had the responsibility to care for the two children, violated the fundamental right to life and that there was no provocation of any kind and that the accused did not show any remorse after killing.
Justice Joe Mkutu Omido sentenced the accused to forty-five (45) years imprisonment on each count, effective from 18th December, 2024, when he first appeared in court. The court ordered that the sentences run concurrently, as the offences were committed in the same transaction and constitute a single course of conduct.
During sentencing, the court noted that the prosecution presented compelling evidence, particularly the production of the exhibits recovered from the scene of crime that were relevant to the case.
According to the judge, the sentences imposed reflect the need to uphold the sanctity of life and the seriousness of killing minors under one’s care. He noted that the sentence also serves as a deterrent to similar offences in society.
