A 49-year-old man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to the murder of his wife in Embu County.
Isaac Mbuva Muasya was convicted of killing his wife, Emily Mutuli, on October 17, 2023, following a plea bargain negotiated between the prosecution and the accused.
The prosecution was led by Scolastica Kinya, Peninah Mwaniki and Brian Felix.
Muasya had initially faced a murder charge under Section 203 as read with Section 204 of the Penal Code.
According to the prosecution, the couple had experienced marital differences for about a week following a family dispute involving their daughter and her husband.
Although the disagreement had reportedly been resolved earlier on the day of the incident, tension between the couple persisted into the evening.
The court heard that the couple's seven-year-old daughter was sleeping beside her mother when Muasya allegedly pulled Mutuli from the bed and tied her hands and neck with a rope.
He later returned with an object and struck his wife twice before fleeing the scene.
The prosecution told the court that Muasya covered the child with a blanket before leaving the house.
Neighbours were alerted by the commotion and prompted the couple's son to check on the house.
He found his mother lying in a pool of blood with a rope around her neck. Attempts to assist her were unsuccessful as she had already died.
The incident was subsequently reported at Karaba Police Station, where police officers processed the scene as investigations commenced.
The deceased's body was later taken to Embu Level Four Hospital mortuary for a post-mortem examination.
The plea bargain enabled the prosecution and the accused to resolve the case with Muasya admitting responsibility for the killing.
In determining the sentence, the court considered the circumstances surrounding the offence as well as Muasya's previous conviction for robbery with violence.
The court consequently sentenced him to 25 years in prison.