An 18-year-old Ugandan national who confessed before an Eldoret court that she murdered her six-month-old baby boy has been sentenced to serve six years in jail.
The convict confessed that she brutally murdered the child in an attempt to free herself from the burden of taking care of the child.
Eldoret High Court judge, Justice Reuben Nyakundi sent the teen mother, coded B M to serve the six-year jail term without the option of a fine after she pleaded guilty to the charges.
The teen mother shocked the packed court when, without any sign of remorse, explained her reasons for murdering the child.
She caused a stir in the court when, given a chance to defend herself ahead of her sentencing, she stoically stood in the dock facing the judge without blinking an eye and said she was forced to terminate the life of her son as she was in deep stress, frustration and agony and wanted to lessen the burden of taking care of the baby alone after the responsible man allegedly abdicated his responsibility.
She recounted how she strangled her son to death, then wrapped his body in a gunny bag before dumping it into a shallow well in broad daylight.
“I indeed killed my son who was by then aged six months, wrapped his body in a gunny bag, and then dumped it in a well as I was unable to take care of the deceased on my own,” she told the court.
After committing the offense, she added, she went underground for three days to evade arrest by the police who were looking for her after being informed about the incident by locals.
She later resurfaced and presented herself to the police station and confessed to the disappearance and killing of her son. She was detained and later arraigned before the court charged with murder.
The accused was defending herself in a case where she was charged with killing her son Junior Nesero Butsetse in the hope she would be set free.
She allegedly committed the offence on October 28, 2023, in Kabogo area in Kapseret sub-county, Uasin Gishu County.
She was represented by Lawyer Robert Makori while the prosecution was led by Mark Mugun.
She pleaded with the court to give her a non-custodial sentence in the event she is found guilty of the murder charge to enable her to get medical treatment for the trauma she went through after the horrific incident.
However, the judge turned down the offer and sent her to prison.
By Kiptanui Cherono
