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Nairobi Court Convicts Mother of Five for Manslaughter in Husband’s Death
"The accused is a mother of five, four of them are school-going, and we pray for a three-year non-custodial sentence to continue taking care of the children," the lawyer told the court.
The High Court in Nairobi has convicted a mother of five of the offence of manslaughter contrary to Section 202 of the Penal Code.
Linet Kwamboka admitted before Justice Alexander Muteti to killing her husband, Thomas Kaboi, on May 31, 2024, without the intention to take his life.
According to the facts presented by the state counsel, Gikui Gichuhi, the couple was operating a hotel in Mukuru slums, and Kwamboka was there on the fateful day.
At around 4:00 PM, her husband Kaboi passed by the hotel and asked Kwamboka for the keys to their house. He took the keys and proceeded to the house, but he did not return.
At around 11:00 PM, Kwamboka, who was eight months pregnant, closed the hotel and went home; she found the house locked, and nobody was there.
She called her husband, who informed her that he was in a club drinking alcohol. She insisted on bringing the keys to access the house, but rather than complying, he gave the phone to an unknown woman.
“I kept calling, asking him to bring the keys I got into the house, but he gave his phone to a woman who was answering my calls. I remained outside until 3:00 AM when he arrived,” Kwamboka stated in the report.
After questioning his whereabouts, he became wild, and an altercation began; he took a knife, injured Kwamboka on the head and lips,
“He started the violence, and when he attacked me, I hurriedly tried to defend myself, grabbed the knife and stabbed him in self-defence,” the report read in part.
He died two days later in Mama Lucy Hospital.
The matter was reported to Buruburu by the landlord, and Kwamboka was arrested and detained.
In defense, through her lawyer, stated that she is a first-time offender without a previous criminal record, and she is remorseful of the action.
“The accused is a mother of five, four of them are school-going, and we pray for a three-year non-custodial sentence to continue taking care of the children,” the lawyer told the court.
The lawyer also informed the court that both families of the victim and the deceased are negotiating to reconcile and maintain good relations.
The prosecution, led by Gikui Gichuhi, pleaded with the court to consider that a weapon was used to commit the offence and urged the court to prefer a custodial sentence of 7 to 15 years.
In his directions, Justice Muteti requested the officer investigating the matter to provide the probation report before delivering the sentence on April 9, 2026.
