The Makueni High Court has ordered for a probation report for a mother and her daughter found guilty of strangling a -four -day infant to death in Katuya village, Mbooni sub county in September 2017.
Judge Hedwig Ong’udi on Thursday directed the pre-sentence report to be tabled before the court within 14 days after Purity Mbithe and her daughter Juliet Madaraka were found guilty of killing and disposing the body of the infant delivered by Juliet on September 25, 2017.
The court also cancelled the accused’s bond following the convictions. Both had been released on a bond of Sh. 50,000.The two will know their fate on November 12.
The mother and daughter are jointly charged with killing the infant named Stacy Mwende on September 29, 2017 and disposing the body in a pit latrine.
At the time of giving birth, Juliet was a form four student awaiting KCSE examinations and is said to have colluded with her mother to kill the baby girl delivered at Kalieni health centre in Kikima area.
The body of the decomposing infant was found on January 2, 2018 after Madaraka Monyi, father to Juliet and husband to Mbithe reported to the police that the infant was missing.
Monyi had been away working at Taita Taveta when his wife together with their daughter Juliet committed the offense.
A postmortem done on the infant’s body at Makueni County Referral hospital revealed that the baby had been strangled.
The accused, through their lawyer, Ramadhan Hassan pleaded with the court to consider a non-custodial sentence, saying that they were first offenders and regretted their action.
Mbithe pleaded for leniency, saying she was a mother of six children who solely depended on her.
“The first accused is a mother to six children and one of her daughters is mentally challenged due to meningitis. This is their first offense and they are repentant of their actions. We ask the court to consider a non-custodial sentence,” said Hassan.
Judge Ong’udi however, said the offense was serious and had led to the loss of a young life.
“I have considered the mitigation and facts of this case. This is a serious offense in which a young life was lost. However before I sentence the accused, I hereby call for detailed pre-sentence report in respect to both accused,” said the Judge Ong’udi
The accused have been detained at the Makueni Women’s Remand prison. By Purity Mutheu/Roselyne Kavoo
