Miss Langata’s death sentence upheld

The Court of Appeal on Friday, November 6 upheld a lower court’s decision to sentence Ruth Kamande -- the 2016 Miss Lang’ata Women’s Prison -- to death for the murder of her boyfriend.

On July 19, 2018, High Court Judge Jessie Lesiit sentenced Kamande to death after finding her guilty of stabbing Farid Mohammed 22 times in 2015 in Buruburu, Nairobi.

In convicting her, Justice Lesiit noted that Kamande’s actions proved malice, and, therefore, murder was the appropriate crime lodged against her.

Kamande’s advocate had urged the court to hand her a lenient jail sentence arguing that she had “established a close relationship with God” since being taken into custody in 2015.

The advocate told the court that Kamande had converted to Islam and became religious, praying five times a day.

The court further heard that the accused had enrolled to study theology education at the prison, an indication that her stay in custody had streamlined her.