Kevin Omondi Nyapietho attacked Gaudencia Otieno Aoko with a jembe after a family supper, according to the prosecution.
A family meal ended in tragedy after a Kisumu man turned on the aunt who had taken him in after the death of his parents.
Kevin Omondi Nyapietho, 31, has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for murdering his aunt, Gaudencia Otieno Aoko, in February 2023.
According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Nyapietho was convicted of murder by the Kisumu High Court after the prosecution presented six witnesses in the case.
The court heard that Nyapietho became angry during supper and accused Aoko and her two children of planning to poison him.
He later left the house and locked them inside from outside.
When he returned, he broke open the door, which had also been locked from inside by one of his cousins.
He then attacked Aoko with a jembe, hitting her on the shoulder and head with the sharp side.
Aoko suffered severe head injuries and died from the attack.
A post-mortem examination found multiple lacerative wounds to her head. The cause of death was determined to be severe head injury.
The case was heard before Justice Joe M. Omido at the Kisumu High Court.
The prosecution, led by counsel Mercy Mutheu Muema, argued that Nyapietho was responsible for the fatal attack and had committed murder under Section 203 of the Penal Code.
The court agreed, finding that the prosecution had proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.
The case was particularly tragic because Aoko had taken Nyapietho in after he was orphaned and had assumed a parental role in his life.
Nyapietho was informed of his right to appeal against both the conviction and sentence within 14 days.
